Extra Dimensions
by Blazing Chaos
Summary: Tales of lives away from the main Dimensions series, from wars and sisters to Christmases and villages. Oh, and a point of view gun...
1. Point of View

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but I do own the OCs introduced in this story and my other stories (except where stated). And I don't own Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy either, that belongs to the late Douglas Adams, who is sadly missed.

Well, welcome to the first in a series of side stories. Each of the side stories will be one shots, and hence will be a full story per chapter, although some may warrant two parts if needs be. They will show parts of life that really don't fit into the main storyline, but are still important, for example a less important event for a main character, or an event for a character not covered well by the central Saga. They are also to be more humorous, and yet will provide an insight into the world of Dimensions. Anyhow, to start off the series, here's an idea I've had for a short while.

**Note: This story occurs between Powers and Evils.**

* * *

_**EXTRA DIMENSIONS**_

**STORY ONE**

_Point of View  
_

By Blazing Chaos

* * *

**7****TH**** JULY 2009  
**

* * *

**_Nonaka Residence_**

**_17:01 JST_**

Rika was annoyed. Very annoyed. And an annoyed Rika is a problem. She managed to slam the sliding door into her house, catching the attention of her mother and grandmother, and Takato who was waiting with Guilmon.

"Erm…hi Rika…" Takato said nervously. "Bad day at school?"

"Worse than ever…the other girls continue to be bitchy as ever, I got a detention for flinging paper balls at the teacher, and someone stole my locker key." Rika complained.

"Looking forward to a new school after the summer?" Takato asked.

"You bet!" Rika replied.

"Well, anyway, I should get going…"

"Why?"

"I've got to help out at the bakery, I was hoping that we could spend some time together, but the detention sorta ruined the plan…" Takato replied.

"Oh…okay…"_'Damn…'_ "See ya!" Rika told her boyfriend, as he left via the door. She frowned after he left.

"Ah, that's good Rika, we can go shopping!" Rumiko said happily.

"I hate shopping!" Rika replied annoyed.

"But we can buy loads of new clothes for you!"

"If you haven't noticed, I only wear jeans and this t-shirt!"

"Yeah, but they're the in thing!"

"I'm not going!"

"Why do you never want to do anything with me?!"

"That's it!" Rika yelled, heading to her room. Rumiko turned to Seiko.

"Mum, why does she always do that?"

"I think it's that time of the month…"

"You always say that…I think it's an excuse…"

Seiko sighed. Tensions seemed to always be high between her daughter and granddaughter, and she had simply learned to live with them.

* * *

Rika slammed the sliding door to her room, and fell back on her futon.

"Why does no-one understand me?" she asked out loud.

'**Maybe because…'**

"Shut it!"

Harmony sighed. Rika seemed angrier than usual at the moment, and nothing would stop her. Rika changed into her usual attire, throwing the school uniform across the room into a pile on the floor.

"Renamon!" Rika called out. Nothing happened, and Rika was now feeling vexed. "Where is she?"

Renamon finally appeared. She seemed slightly distracted. "Yes Rika?"

"Where were you?"

"Nowhere…"_'Now Rika will think I am hiding something…trust Guilmon to distract me by choking on bread…'_

Rika raised an eyebrow, but dismissed the thought. "Any bioemergence?" she asked. Renamon shook her head.

"No, it has been very quiet lately…"

Rika moaned. "It's so boring! Nothing has happened! Why is it so quiet?!"

"I do not know Rika…"

* * *

_**21:30 JST**_

"Will you leave me alone for a while Renamon?" Rika said, breaking the long quiet that had descended on the house. She had gone to have dinner, but despite her mother arguing with her, she refused to speak. The rest of the time she had spent in her room, looking through her cards.

"As you wish…" Renamon replied, vanishing into thin air. Rika headed across to her laptop and opened it up. A while later she had opened a word document. She wrote some words.

**Dear Diary,**

She sat trying to think of what to write. She sighed and put the lid down eventually, and then she turned to look back at her room. The blue orb on her cupboard alongside her digivice. A thought dawned on her. She picked up the orb and it resized in her hand. She looked at it.

'_Harmony…'_

'**Ah, so now you're talking to me…'**

'_Quiet…I was thinking…could I use this orb to…like…control people?'_

'**In what way?'**

'_Like…to make them see my point of view…'_

'**Hmm…if you must…'**

The orb glowed and expanded into the shape of a gun. It was an odd alien-like gun that seemed completely impractical. The gun was small, and seemed to have no point.

"What is this?" Rika asked, holding the device.

'**It is called the Point of View Gun.'**

'_That sounds oddly familiar…'_

'**Look, I'll be honest; it's based on Hitchhiker's…'**

'_Uh…huh…how does it work?'_

'**HOW DO YOU THINK IT WORKS DUMBASS?! IT'S A GODAMM GUN!'**

'_Ouch…how can you shout in my head and hurt my ears?'_

'**I'm not sure…'**

'_Anyway, I think I'll test this…' _"Renamon?" she called out.

"You called?" Renamon asked, appearing at the entrance to her room.

"Where were you earlier?"

"When do you mean Rika?"

"You know when I mean!"

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you…"

"Tell me!"

Rika pulled out the gun. Renamon looked on in surprise. "Rika, what is that?" she asked in fear. Rika grinned and pulled the trigger. A small ball of energy hit Renamon. She flinched.

"So, where were you earlier?"

"I was helping out Guilmon after he choked on some bread, and I was wrong not to tell you…"

Rika smiled. _'School tomorrow is going to be fun…'_

* * *

**8****TH**** JULY 2009  
**

* * *

_**07:00 JST**_

Rika awoke from a long sleep, to what she knew would be a good day. As the penultimate day of school, she would finally get her revenge on her fellow classmates. She stood up, and looked across to the point of view gun resting on her desk. She smiled, and walked over to pick it up. She looked at it and smiled, before looking across to Renamon, who had appeared.

"Good morning Rika…"

"Good morning Renamon…" she replied. "What did I tell you about coming into my room before I change?" she asked.

Renamon blushed in embarrassment, her normal concentration destroyed by a combination of tiredness and love from watching Guilmon sleep. "Sorry, my mistake, but…" she began to explain, before she was hit by a shot. "I was completely wrong to go into your room, I apologise…" she said, before vanishing into thin air.

Rika smiled. She began to change into her uniform, the same which had been thrown against the wall the day before. It was creased, but she couldn't care less.

"And if anyone complains…" she said quietly, looking at the gun and smiling. She strapped it to her leg underneath her uniform, and left her room, not before putting her D-Arc in her pocket along with a deck of cards. She strolled down the hallway casually and into the living room.

"Good morning Mum, Good morning…" Rika said cheerily.

"Don't be cheery on me; you have some explaining to do Young Lady!" Rumiko interrupted. Rika pulled the gun out, and fired it at her. Seiko looked on confused. "Yes, why haven't you told me before that you hate shopping?! You don't need to go with me; we can do anything you want."

"Rika, what is…?" Seiko began to say. Rika fired it at her. "Ah, don't worry" she replied. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Ice cream and lemonade…" Rika replied. Seiko looked on curious, but then stopped.

* * *

Rika finished her ice cream. Her teeth felt cold, and she began to think that it wasn't such a good idea. Regardless, having finished her Lemonade, she hastily grabbed her satchel and bid goodbye to her mother and grandmother. She walked out the door, soon to be joined by Renamon walking alongside her.

"Hey Renamon, what's up?"

Renamon had an odd look on her face. "I'm sure there was something odd…but…no, can't think of anything…"

'_Good…'_

'**Okay, then what do we have planned for today?'**

'_Oh, I have some great plans…first, my school, then my fellow Tamers, then…'_

'**The world?'**

'…_no, but good reference. Takato is who I am referring to.'_

'**Whom…'**

'_Huh?'_

'**The correct word is whom.'**

Rika said nothing. She simply pointed the gun at her head and fired. Harmony laughed at Rika's reaction when nothing happened.

'**Nice try…unfortunately for you, I foresaw this…'**

Rika moaned. _'There's always one…'_

* * *

Rika arrived at the school gates. She looked through at the oppressive boarding school she had attended for several years, and was thankful that she would not have to attend after tomorrow. She strode across the playground, girls avoiding her like a leopard strolling through a herd of cattle. She smiled happily.

"Ah, Rika, on the antidepressants again?" asked Ayla, speaking up. Rika turned to the brunette. She drew out the gun and fired it subtly. Ayla flinched. "No, of course not, I was completely wrong to insult you…"

"Correct…" Rika replied, walking into the school. Renamon, watching from a tree, raised an eyebrow at this.

'_What was that?'_ she thought, before vanishing into thin air.

* * *

Rika walked into her large classroom and found her desk of the past few years. She sat down and placed her bag by her desk. She felt Renamon appearing at the back of the class, unknown to everyone.

"Welcome Class…today, we will be studying advanced algebra…" the teacher began, prompting groans from the pupils. Rika groaned the loudest, prompting the teacher to pick her out from the rest of the class. "Mrs Nonaka, do you have a problem with this subject?"

Rika stood up. "Yes I do…"

"And that is?"

"We've finished our exams; I get out of this stupid school full of snotty bitches and backstabbing cows tomorrow. Why do you add to my misery by insisting that we learn something that will never be useful?" she spoke confidently. Renamon and the teacher, along with most of the pupils, were surprised at this, and Rika received many glares for the 'snotty bitches' and 'backstabbing cows' lines. The teacher opened his mouth to speak, and Rika fired. The teacher paused, mouth open slightly, as if he were reconsidering his response.

"Okay then, I see your point…what do you wish to study?"

"Something that my fellow pupils will never understand."

"That being?"

"Me…" she replied, prompting surprise. "In fact, if you don't mind Sir, I shall teach the Class today…"

There were whispers passing around the class. The teacher thought again. "Okay then, go ahead…I shall go to the staff room…" he answered, leaving the room.

'**So, what do you plan to do?'** Harmony asked as Rika walked towards the board. Rika took the chalkboard rubber and wiped the board.

'_Wait and see…'_ "Right, now, class…" Rika began, pausing for thought. "Point number one: I am not an angry bitch…" she said, writing notes on the board as she said it. "Point number two: I could not care less what you bitches think…Point number three: Yes, I do have a Digimon. Yes, I do fight. No, I am not a boy. Yes, it is fun. Yes, I am a Tamer. No, the name Tamer is not ripe for humour, nor some sort of sexual innuendo."

Rika paused to let it sink in. Then she waited a second, before continuing.

"Point number four: All of you and your petty, clothes and jewellery filled lives disgust me. Point number five: I was not adopted, I am my mother's daughter. Point number six: She is not too young to be my mother. Point number seven: If you mock me about my father, I will personally, not getting Renamon, my partner, to do so for me, rip you to shreds. Point number eight: I hate this uniform. Point number nine: I know that your lives are petty because I have seen far more than you can comprehend…" One of the girls sniggered. Rika fired the gun again, and they stopped. "Do you have a problem with the way that was said?"

"No, I was wrong to consider that as funny…" the girl replied.

Rika nodded. "Correct…now…for a new subject…" Rika wrote a large word on the board.

**DIGIMON**

"Renamon…" she called out.

"You called?" Renamon replied, appearing out of thin air. The students gasped at this turn of events. Rika turned to the class, thoroughly enjoying her chance for revenge.

"As you can see, Renamon is not some disgusting beast, nor a freak of nature. In fact, if I am going to be honest, she is probably the…coolest digimon in existence."

Renamon turned to Rika, surprised about her actions. She began to speak telepathically. _'Rika, are you sure this is such a…?'_ However, another shot of the POV gun silenced her doubts. _'This is a good plan to get back on them…'_

"And, if I'm perfectly honest, she could kick the crap out of anyone…anywhere…any time…as could I…"

"Ah, Rika, as over the top and aggressive as…" Ayla said. Rika fired the blast again, and she changed what she was going to say. "And perfectly justified to be honest. I mean, as a class, we are a bunch of backstabbing cows, particularly towards her" she said, looking around the class at her fellow pupils, who looked on with a look of disbelief. One of the pupils put up her hand.

"Yes, the girl with the hand up that I could never be bothered to learn the name of?" Rika asked.

"Yeah, I just saw that gun-thing in your hand…what is it?" she asked.

"Oh, this thing?" Rika said, pulling it out of her uniform. "Oh, this is nothing…" she said grinning, as she changed a switch on the top of the POV gun. The barrel changed shape and she pointed it at the class. "…really I suppose…" she finished, firing the blast at the whole class, taking in everyone. Renamon looked on in surprise.

"Any more questions…" Rika asked. Getting no response, she continued. "…good, then we'll begin…"

Rika held up a card and drew the outline of the card on the board, alongside an outline of the card playing layout.

"This is a creature card. It is your main type of card, they do all the fighting. Alongside them, you have modify cards that modify their power, given here, and give other abilities depending on the card. On the board, you have five areas, the Power Port for your Modify Cards, the Duel Zone for your Active Digimon, your Digivolve Zone for digivolving Digimon, and then your online zone where you put your deck and offline zone where you put cards that have been taken out of play. Digivolution is where you can increase a digimon's level, power and similar by changing their form. There are six levels of Digimon. They run Baby, In-training, Rookie, Champion, Ultimate and Mega. There are also some odd levels, such as Armour, that can vary from the power of a strong rookie to an ultimate in strength. There are also three types of Digimon, Virus, Data and Vaccine, as well as a new one, Hybrid, which has its own rule. It's like rock-paper-scissors, Vaccine beats Virus, Virus beats Data, and Data beats Vaccine. Well, they can survive, but only if they have enough health." Rika lectured. She drew a diagram on the board of this three way triangle.

The pupils sat, seeming to take this in but not objecting. One raised their hand. Rika nodded, gesturing for them to speak. "Um…what type is Renamon?"

"Data" Rika replied.

"So she is weak to Virus, and strong against Vaccine then?" another pupil asked.

"Incorrect…" Rika replied. She wrote Renamon on the board, and drew an arrow that encircled the three types. "Renamon beats all three, every time!" she said, crossing through each of the types.

Renamon smiled at this, but was still confused. She watched Rika speak to the class, surprised at her incredible confidence, the lack of any real uprising from the class, and most of all, the gun. She made a note to check it out later.

* * *

_**12:30 JST**_

Lunchtime began and Rika dismissed the class. She rubbed the notes on the card game off the board, and various other notes on Digimon and herself. She strode down the corridor to the lunch hall, where she received odd looks from many. She looked around and dismissed the looks, considering whether to use the gun. She selected her meal, and left via the nearest exit, resorting to sitting under a tree in the shade outside. Renamon shadow-shifted to appear near her.

"Hey Renamon…"

"Rika, what is going on today?"

"What ever do you mean?"

'**Nice and innocent…of course…'**

'_Shut it…'_

"I have seen that odd device you have…it's like a gun…you were using it to alter your fellow student's minds…" Renamon answered.

"Very perceptive Renamon. But, try to see it…" Rika said, firing another blast. "…from my point of view…" she finished, as Renamon flinched.

"I see. The class has annoyed you for the past few years, and you are now getting your revenge. That seems reasonable." Renamon replied. Rika nodded.

"Glad to know you agree…"

* * *

Rika returned to her class, who had already reached the room. She faced the class.

"Now, I only have one thing left to teach you people…none of this escapes here…none of what I told you escapes your mind, you will forget it…got that?"

"Yes Miss…" came the reply. Rika grinned.

"Okay then, now, get out of my sight. Class dismissed…" she ordered, striding out of the room, collecting her belongings on the way.

"Huh?" came a reply from some of the girls in the room. Rika turned back.

"Any problems?" she asked.

"Well, we only just got back from lunch…" one of the pupils replied.

"Yeah, and the school day is over for us…good eh?" Rika replied.

"I suppose…"

"Good…" Rika added, leaving the room, and also leaving the room in confusion.

* * *

_**Nonaka Residence**_

_**14:01 JST**_

Rika arrived back at her home. She opened the door, to be greeted by her grandmother.

"Oh, Rika…did you get sent home?"

"No, I dismissed the class early…"

"What?" Seiko replied. Rika fired the gun again. "Oh, I see, that was a reasonable thing to do."

"I'm glad you agree…" Rika replied, heading to her room. She threw off her uniform, and changed into her usual attire, D-Arc and all. She replaced the gun on her leg, near her foot, and headed to the door. "Bye grandma, I'm going to the park…" she told her grandmother, who nodded unquestioningly.

* * *

_**Shinjuku Lower Secondary High School**_

_**14:19 JST**_

Rika arrived at the school which the other Tamers would continue to attend for another day. She walked straight past the gates, and into the school building. If anyone noticed, she simply zapped them. She eventually found the class she was looking for. Smiling, she opened the door.

"Good morning class!" she said happily, receiving scared looks from some pupils, and confused looks from the others. Takato was confused most of all. At the same time, Kazu screamed amusingly, and Terriermon pleaded with his partner to 'hide me'. Mrs Asagi stood up and faced her.

"Rika Nonaka, is it?"

Rika nodded.

"Why are you here?" asked Takato.

"Simple…" replied Rika, pulling out the gun from her leg.

"Christ, Rika, is that a gun?" Henry said surprised.

"KENTA, HIDE ME!" yelled Kazu. Terriermon ran. Rika ignored them and aimed at the teacher.

"…you'll come round to see my point of view soon enough…" she said, firing. Mrs Asagi flinched.

"Ah, I see. Sit where you wish in the class…" she instructed. The class now stared on confused, as Rika walked down to sit on Takato's desk. She looked at the board and smiled.

"Continue…" she instructed. Mrs Asagi continued to teach the class.

"Psst…Rika…what are you doing here?" asked Jeri.

"It's fun, why else?"

"What is that thing?" Kenta asked.

"It's a very useful tool…"

"What? Where did you get a gun?" Kazu asked.

"That's not something you need to concern yourself with…" Rika told him.

"But…" he protested. Rika fired at him, as Kenta ducked in surprise. Kazu flinched.

"I see your point of view now…" Kazu replied.

"Rika, what was that? Is that that orb thing?" Takato asked.

"If you'd care to follow me, I'll explain…" she told him, standing up off his desk and gesturing for him to follow. Takato reluctantly did so, as the class watched on. Once Takato had exited the room, Rika changed the gun setting, and fired it into the room, hitting everyone inside, as Takato watched on shock.

"What…was that?" he asked in surprise.

"It is called the point-of-view gun…and this is going to be fun…"

"What does it do?" he asked.

"It makes others see my point of view. Simply point…and fire…" she gestured, although not actually firing. "Now, Takato, are you doing anything this evening?" she asked.

Takato began to reply. "I have to help out at the…"

"No, Takato…are you doing anything this evening?" Rika asked again, stressing the words and pointing to the gun. Takato sighed. He decided that retaining his own point of view was preferable to being controlled by an odd device.

"No Rika…" he replied.

"Good, then come with…" she added, gesturing for him to follow.

'**Takato, what the hell is going on?'**

'_I have no idea…'_ Takato replied.

'**I think Harmony and Rika are up to something…'**

'_Yeah…'_

"Oh, and Takato?" Rika said as they left through the doors of the school, turning to face him.

"Yes?"

"Don't think I'm letting you and Chaos get off easily!" she told him, firing at him.

"Okay then…" Takato replied. Rika smiled.

'**Oh wonderful…'**

* * *

_**Skies above Tokyo**_

_**17:03 JST**_

Swords clashed, blue with red, and sparks of energy flew out like fireworks. A winged Rika pressed her sword against Takato's, trying to break through. Takato refused to let an attack through though, until Rika pulled out the gun and fired. Suddenly, Takato dropped his sword, and Rika hit Takato on the skin. The barrier he was using flared to block the attack, and Rika and Takato both paused to recover their breath.

"Nice…fighting…Rika…" Takato told his girlfriend, who nodded.

"You're not bad yourself…" _'…at least until I used the gun, of course…'_

'**Right, that's it, Takato, you're not in a state to be in control, so it's my turn!'** Chaos told his alter-ego. Takato's eyes flashed red, and Rika noticed.

"Ah, Chaos, sick of submission?" she asked.

"**Seriously, what is your problem?"**

"Huh?"

"**You are pissing everyone off…for no-one's benefit but yourself…talk about abusing your pow…"** Chaos lectured, but he was interrupted by a firing of the gun.

"Now, what do you say Chaos?"

"**You deserve to get revenge by abusing your powers…now I shall revert to Takato…"** he replied, eyes flashing once again. Rika smiled.

* * *

_**Nonaka Residence**_

_**20:01 JST**_

"Thank you for joining us Takato…" Seiko told her daughter's boyfriend, who sat at the table with her daughter and her.

"No problem…oh, we're out of sauce…" Takato said, getting up.

"Don't worry, I'll get some…" Seiko said humbly. She got up and walked to the cupboard. Finding none of the sauce she needed, she headed along the hall to the cupboard. She collected another bottle of sauce, and headed back along the corridor. She noticed something, however, as she walked past Rika's room. An item glinted in the dim light. She walked across and picked it up. _'Is this…a gun?'_ she thought. Looking around the room for some kind of clue, she gave up and decided to ask later, since they had a guest at that time. She placed it into her bag, and returned to the table. "Here you go Takato…" she said, giving him the bottle.

"Thank you…" he replied humbly.

* * *

_**Matsuki Residence**_

_**20:56 JST**_

Takato stepped through the doors of the bakery. This caught the attention of his parents. "Takato Matsuki, where were you?" asked his mother.

"Huh?"

"You didn't even call…we were so worried…" Mie said worried.

"I was just hanging out with Rika…"

His parents looked at him oddly as he headed up to his room.

"That was odd…" Mie said. Her husband looked at her, then up to Takato heading to his room.

"Hmm…" Takehiro mulled.

* * *

**9****TH JULY 2009**

* * *

_**Nonaka Residence**_

_**07:00 JST**_

Rika woke up cheerily, happy that today was not only the last day ever at her snotty private school, but that she still had the POV gun. She changed quickly, and then headed down the corridor for breakfast. Having learned from the previous day, she decided to ask for standard breakfast. Having finished, she stood up.

"You'd better hurry dear; otherwise you'll be late for school…" Seiko told her. Rika nodded, and headed to her room. She found her digivice and cards, and placed them in her pockets. She looked to the desk for the gun. However, it was not there.

"What the hell?" she cursed. "Where is it?"

'**I'm not sure…this is very odd…'** Harmony replied. Rika looked at the time.

"I'm late as well…" she said annoyed. She sighed, and resorted to going without the gun. She walked out of the front door, biding goodbye to her mother and grandmother on the way. Seiko watched her daughter leave. She turned to Rumiko, and pulled an item out of her bag.

"Rumiko, I found this in Rika's room…" she told her daughter. Rumiko looked up from a magazine, and looked at the device in shock.

"But why does Rika have a gun?!"

"I'm not sure…it doesn't look like a normal gun…" she said, cautiously handling the device.

"Maybe it's something else…give it here…" Rumiko told her mother, who handed her the gun-like device. She looked at it. "It can't be a gun; it has no bullets…hmm…maybe if I press…" Rumiko said, pressing a button. A blast fired out of the gun.

"No, Rumiko don't just press lots of butto…it was a good idea to test it, wasn't it dear?" she said, as the blast hit her mid-sentence. Rumiko looked up in surprise.

"Mum, are you alright?"

"Of course I am dear, you're right, it isn't a gun…"

"Hmm…well, maybe I should try to go shopping with Rika again today…maybe ending school will make her change her mind?"

"Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea."

"Mother, are you feeling okay?"

"Of course I am, and that is a good idea."

"Hmm…"

* * *

_**15:55 JST**_

Rika danced through the streets, finally having finished her awful school. She had already thrown away many parts of her uniform, and the rest she planned to destroy in ingenious ways. She arrived at her house, and opened the door. She walked into the living room and shouted. "SCHOOLS OUT!"

Rumiko smiled and looked knowingly across to Seiko. She stood up and walked over to Rika. "Hello Rika…"

"Hello Mother…" Rika replied. She was about to head to her room, but she suddenly saw the device in Rumiko's hand. "Waaah! Where did you find that?"

"What is it Rika?"

"It's a point-of-view gun…it changes people's points of view to match your own…"

"Aha, so if I were to aim this at you, and fire, you would hold my point of view…"

Rika's face whitewashed. "Oh crap…" she cursed.

* * *

_**Makino Modelling Agency**_

_**17:05 JST**_

"She's not going to break my camera again, is she?" the cameraman asked.

"I'm sure you'll find that she does not misbehave at all this time…" Rumiko replied. The cameraman nodded, and turned to his set-up.

"And now Rika, smile for the camera!" the cameraman said. Rika did as he said, smiling in her now familiar dress. Takato chuckled quietly to himself, watching the events unfold. Renamon and Chaos had managed to piece together the pieces of the puzzle. Takato quietly walked over to the computer and placed in a memory stick. He tapped a few buttons and smiled.

* * *

_**Nonaka Residence**_

_**18:07 JST**_

Rika hid under the covers of her bed. Takato sat nearby, on the floor.

"Rika, are you okay?"

"Will everyone just GO AWAY?!" she yelled.

Takato sighed. He left the room, and walked down the corridor.

"Right, this one will go in my agency advert…and this one in all the teen mags…and this one…" she said, sorting through the pictures. Takato sighed, but he was glad that he could do at least something for Rika.

Rumiko moved away from the pictures to answer a call. Takato picked a drink up off the side table, and walked towards the table with pictures. He grinned.

'_Well, never taken fallen on purpose before…'_

'**Knowing you, it won't be difficult.'**

Takato nodded walked up to the pictures quickly. On uneven footing, he tripped, and the drink splashed all over the photos.

"NO!" Rumiko said surprised. Takato landed on the table.

"Whoops…sorry…" Takato said, trying to look as innocent as possible. He looked down at the photos. Most were soggy, but one was intact. He picked up the photo quickly, and placed it in his pocket.

"Don't worry; we've got the digital copies of them…" Rumiko told Takato. "…regardless…I've still got this…" she added, holding the gun, and heading down the corridor, Takato following irritated.

* * *

Rika had now left the bed and was typing on the laptop.

**Dear Diary,**

**Okay, it sort of backfire…**

Suddenly, Rika flinched. Rumiko smiled.

**...my mother's interests in fashion are completely justi…**

Takato grabbed the gun quickly while Rumiko wasn't looking. Rika suddenly snapped out of it.

**STOP DOING THAT MUM!!** she wrote.

"STOP DOING THAT MUM!!" she shouted.

Rumiko turned around to look at Takato with the gun. Takato fired it at her. She left down the corridor, and Takato entered Rika's bedroom. Rika had her head down on the desk, emotional. Takato placed the gun next to her.

"Rika…don't cry…I have a bargain to make…" Takato said enthusiastically. Rika turned round to look at him. "Here's the deal, I'll wipe your Mother and Grandmother's memories, and erase all digital copies of the photos using the Hazard Virus that I put on that photographer's PC.

"Okay…but what do you get in return?" Rika asked, wiping her tears.

"Number one, you revert the gun back to the orb and never turn it into the point-of-view gun again…"

Rika nodded reluctantly. "And the other thing?"

"You let me keep this beautiful picture of you…" Takato said, smiling and pulling out the photo from his pocket. Rika's eyes narrowed, and then she sighed.

"Fine…" she replied. She placed her hand on the gun and it returned to the shape of the orb. In return, Takato touched her computer, red sparks bursting out of his hands. His other hand fired red energy down the corridor.

"And so my end of the bargain is complete…" he replied, smiling. Rika pulled him into a kiss, which he returned.

"Thanks Takato…I'm sorry…"

"No problem…" Takato replied. "Now, thanks to you not letting me phone my parents yesterday, I am grounded for a week…I hope you're happy…"

"You know, my point of view gun would come in useful here…" Rika suggested. Takato shook his head and smiled.

"See ya later Rika…" he said, heading out of the door.

"Bye honey…" Rika waved farewell. She turned back to her PC, and finished off the diary entry.

**Rika**

THE END

* * *

Well, there we go, the first Extra-Dimensions story now complete. I hope you liked it; it was a great chance to have a storyline that could be shorter than others, and hence be humorous all on its own.

Please review.

Next time…

Secrets of love can never stay secret for ever, as Rika and Takato learn in 'Same Old, Same Old', the second Extra Dimensions tale, after which we'll be returning to the main saga.


	2. Same Old, Same Old

And here we go again, with the second Extra-Dimensions tale. Once I've done this one, I'm going to switch back to the main stream of stories, so Book Three is on the way.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but I do own the OCs introduced in this story and later stories (except where stated).

**Note: This story occurs between Powers and Evils.**

* * *

_**EXTRA DIMENSIONS**_

**STORY TWO**

_Same Old, Same Old  
_

By Blazing Chaos

* * *

**4****TH**** SEPTEMBER 2009  
**

* * *

The great city of Tokyo awoke once again. Commuters headed for work, breakfasts were made, computers beeped away as if nothing could stop them, and generally everything seemed normal. However, for many in Tokyo, it was a more interesting day than most. It was the beginning of the new school year, and, for almost all 15 year olds, that meant a brand new school. For six select humans, however, this was a more important day. Some for a good reason, some for a bad reason. And both reasons revolved around one person. Rika Nonaka was going to be in their school.

* * *

_**Katou Residence**_

_**07:14 JST**_

Jeri awoke from her slumber, as the light of the sun shone through the windows. She climbed down and out of her bunk bed, and changed into her now usual attire. She headed down the stairs into the kitchen where her step mother was making breakfast, and her father was preparing the restaurant for that day's business.

"Good morning Jeri…" her step-mother greeted her.

"Morning mum…" she chirped in response. Leomon, due to his size, slept in a corner of the restaurant. She walked over and noticed he was waking up. "Morning Leomon…"

Leomon nodded. "First day of your new school isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

* * *

_**Kitgagawa Residence**_

_**07:23 JST**_

"WAKE UP KENTA!" yelled the mother of Kenta Kitagawa. Kenta awoke with a start, and looked around. "You'll be late for school otherwise…"

Kenta yawned and nodded. MarineAngemon awoke and began to fly around the room, handing Kenta his t-shirt, jacket, pants and digivice, which Kenta happily took.

"It may be mine and Kazu's last day on earth, better look good for it…" he muttered, considering the fact that Rika would be joining them at the new school.

* * *

_**Wong Residence**_

_**07:34 JST**_

Henry sat at the table with his family eating breakfast. Terriermon sat on the table next to him, somehow having mastered the art of handling a spoon with his non-human hands, and was making a mess of eating cereal. He eventually gave up and began to simply eat the cereal as if it were from a trough, that is, head first. Henry sighed at the sight.

* * *

_**Nonaka Residence**_

_**07:45 JST**_

Rika was happy. That in itself would surprise most people, not least Kazu and Kenta, but Seiko, Rumiko and Renamon, Rika's grandmother, mother and digimon partner respectively, were expecting it. Rika finally had a chance to get away from the world of snotty private schools and into a school with her friends…and Kazu and Kenta, although in their case she was less enthusiastic, although Kazu was more of an annoyance than Kenta.

Rika finished her breakfast and excused herself from the table. She returned to her room and collected her things, still smiling. The D-Arc and cards went on her belt, and the Orb of Harmony was shrunk to be placed into her pocket. She walked back into the main living room and bid goodbye to her mother and grandmother, before leaving the house. She walked to the front gate and turned left, heading towards her new school.

* * *

_**Shioda Residence**_

_**07:56 JST**_

Kazu was now running late. He had been sleeping a bit too long, but the problem had been exaggerated when Guardromon managed to spill his breakfast on the floor, and his bag turned out to have a tear in it. He also spent some time looking for his cards, and so, having finally finished his pre-school routine, he dashed out the door, bidding farewell as he left.

* * *

_**Matsuki Residence**_

_**08:03 JST**_

Takato slowly awoke from his slumber and looked around the room. He nudged Guilmon to wake the dino up, and groggily looked at the clock.

**08:04**

He stood up and began to change into his usual attire. On went the pants and blue hooded jumped. He pulled the strap back on the Goggles, pulled them over his head, and absent-mindedly looked at the clock again. This time, however, the numbers registered in his mind. His hand let go of the goggle strap and the pair pinged back on his head, making him lose his balance and tumble to the floor.

Downstairs, preparing bread, Takehiro raised an eyebrow at the thump from Takato's room. Mie continued to work with the dough while replying, almost as if it were now simply routine. "Takato's up…"

* * *

_**08:10 JST**_

Takato ran, quickly, along the roads, heading to the school. Guilmon followed, trying to catch up, although having much difficulty in doing so. He stopped for breath in the park, now completely lost as to where the school was.

"Oh great, late on the first day…last year, Mrs Asaji would've given me a detention forever for being late on the first day…"

Takato picked a random direction and headed down it, trying to find his bearings. He failed, ending up back at the hideout, now panting for breath.

"This couldn't get any worse…late on the first day…what do I do?"

Wind ruffled his hair, and he looked for the source. Renamon had appeared near him. "Rika was right, he is having trouble finding the place…" she said to herself. She sighed. "Follow me…"

"Thanks…" Takato replied.

* * *

_**Shinjuku Upper High School**_

_**08:15 JST**_

Rika stood in the grounds of the school, looking for the familiar faces of her fellow tamers amongst the crowd of unknowns. Already this school seemed better than her old one, for a start it wasn't just girls, secondly there were no uniforms, and finally, no-one seemed to care about the yellow fox she had spoken to only a short while beforehand.

"Rika, over here!" she heard a voice call, and looked to see Jeri Katou, along with Kenta and Henry, and their partners. She joined them.

"New school…doesn't seem too bad…" Rika commented as she walked up to them. Terriermon quaked in fear and Rika chuckled at the sight.

"I hope our new teacher lets us have our Digimon in the class…" Henry noted.

"I'm probably too big to fit anyway Jeri…" Leomon told her partner, who nodded reluctantly.

"Fine…we can talk later, okay?" Jeri said to her lion-like partner, who nodded. She had grown used to the general problems that Leomon's height caused.

"So where are Takato and the other moron?" Rika asked.

"Not here yet…" Kenta answered.

"Fear not, for the great Kazu is here!" came an electronic voice.

"Hey, stop stealing my lines before I even say them…" said another voice. Rika sighed and looked to see Kazu and Guardromon. Rika smiled and faced Kazu.

"Good morning Kazu…" she said cheerily, putting on an overly big smile. Kazu winced.

"Stop trying to freak me out!" he complained. The others laughed.

"Well, that just leaves Takato…" Jeri commented. The school bell rung.

"Well, he's late…" said Kazu, almost as if used to it.

'_I hope Renamon managed to find him…'_ Rika thought.

* * *

_**Classroom 29**_

_**08:27 JST**_

Rika and her fellow Tamers walked into the classroom. Currently, the teacher was absent, and a few students had already taken a seat. Each of the desks had two seats, and Kazu and Kenta were quick to choose the one nearest the back of the room by the window, Guardromon and MarineAngemon following. Terriermon leapt across to take a desk in the middle near the window. Henry raised an eyebrow at this.

"Terriermon, why have you chosen that table?" he asked.

"Simple Henry…it's near the window, and it's both far enough away from the teacher that we won't be in her gaze all the time, but close enough that she won't suspect me when I flick paper balls at her."

Henry sighed. "Terriermon, what did I tell you about doing that sort of thing?"

"Momentai Henry, it was only a joke…" _'…but some jokes can become real…'_

Henry walked across to join him at the desk. Jeri stood by the desk.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked politely.

"No…" Henry answered blushing, and Jeri sat next to him.

"Thanks…I can help keep Terriermon in check…"

'_Come on Henry, keep yourself together…'_ Henry thought to himself, restraining his blushing.

Rika took a desk that was dead centre in the room, based both on Terriermon's reasoning, and on the fact that most of the window desks had now been taken up by other students. She noticed that no-one had decided to sit next to her, and she was glad for it. However, as time passed, and the room gradually filled up, two people were noticeably absent. Kazu and Kenta voiced her concerns.

"Where's chumley?" Kazu asked out loud.

"Yeah, and the teacher…" Kenta added.

* * *

Takato raced through the doors and into the corridor. He headed straight for the classroom. However, having found that he'd gone the wrong way, he headed up a set of stairs and along the corridor. Again, however, he'd made a wrong turn, exasperating Renamon and Guilmon in pursuit. He stopped to check his book.

"Ah, right, Classroom 29…where is that?"

'**By the way these numbers, go, I presume it's on the second floor at the western end of the school…'**

'_Right…'_

Takato ran down the corridor and up a set of stairs again. He raced along the hallway, and saw the number 29 on a sign poking out of the wall, alongside a set of steps. He smiled victoriously and raced for the entrance.

However, someone walked up and out of the steps, holding a lot of books on a tray, which obscured their face, and Takato ran head-first into them, both of them falling back on the floor. The other person stood up and Takato looked up, expressions of embarrassment turning to fear.

"Not you again!" Takato said to his teacher of many years, Mrs Asaji, who sighed.

"Same as always Takato…" Takato smiled nervously, and stood up. "Just try not to be late in future, okay?" she instructed. Takato nodded, and entered the class. He looked around the class to see everyone's reactions to the teacher following him. Only his fellow Tamers (excluding Rika, although she did have some memories of the teacher from the point-of-view gun incident) and a few other students reacted in a mix of surprise and fear, although Henry was also not so acquainted with Mrs Asaji to be as surprised by it.

"You again?!" Kazu said out loud.

"Hello Kazu…" Mrs Asaji said sighing. "Seems that you haven't changed at all…hold on…do you all have your Digimon here?"

"Yeah!" Terriermon cheered.

"Terriermon!"

"Momentai Henry!"

Mrs Asaji, feeling the oncoming headache, decided to give up pursuing this, and turned her attention to other things. "Now, Takato, if you had been on time you would've had a chance to choose your seat, but now it appears you have no option. Please sit next to…Rika, is it?"

Rika nodded, and Takato walked over and sat next to her, smiling. Guilmon sat under the desk and Renamon vanished into thin air.

'**Ah the irony…'**

Kazu, watching from the back of the class, noticed the lack of any negative reaction from either of them, a thought shared by Kenta.

"Psst…Kenta…" Kazu whispered.

"What?" Kenta asked.

"Did you see that? Rika didn't even complain, and Takato didn't even flinch…he blushed…"

"Yeah, I know…strange isn't it…"

Kazu began to grin as a thought dawned on him. _'Maybe…'_

Mrs Asaji began to teach the class, writing things on the board as she did so. "Now, as some of you already know, my name is Mrs Asaji. I have previously worked in Shinjuku Lower Secondary High School, but got the chance to move up to teaching more mature students." She sighed, looking around the class, but specifically at Kazu and Kenta. "Unfortunately it turns out that my new students are not all as mature as I thought…"

"Hey!" Kazu yelled from the back. Mrs Asaji sighed; it was going to be a long few years.

* * *

_**School Grounds**_

_**11:05 JST**_

The morning break in lessons had arrived and everyone had jumped at the chance to get out of class. Henry had gone to look round the school, along with Jeri who was also interested. Kazu and Kenta were considering changing schools, and our favourite Redhead and Gogglehead couple sat by a tree in the school grounds. Renamon sat on the tree above them, and Guilmon was currently eating three pieces of day-old bread. Renamon smiled at the sight, until he stared choking and a look of concern appeared on her face.

Renamon landed by a surprised Takato and Rika, and whacked Guilmon in the stomach. He coughed up the food.

"Thanks Renamon…" he replied, before quickly returning to his food. Renamon smiled at his lack of care about the fact he could start choking again.

"You know Guilmon; you've been choking a lot lately…" Takato noted.

"Maybe you're getting an allergy…you should stop eating bread…" Rika suggested smiling. Guilmon turned pale and began to choke again, prompting the same action from Renamon. Once Guilmon had recovered, he was slightly sad.

"That wasn't funny…" he told Rika, ears drooping. Rika smiled, and soon Guilmon returned to his bread.

"So, what do you think of the new school Rika?" Takato asked the girl next to him. She thought about it before replying.

"It seems okay, I really don't understand the problem with the teacher, and it's far better than my old school." Rika replied. Takato nodded. "And of course, there is one thing that is really good about this school…" Rika added, looking at Takato.

"That being what?" Takato replied obnoxiously. Rika moved forward and kissed him.

"You of course…"

Takato chuckled. "I thought I was the soppy one…" Rika laughed.

'_What the hell?'_ Kenta thought getting there just in time to see the kiss. Kenta removed his glasses, looking for some explanation.

"What's eating you chumley?" asked Kazu to his best friend.

"Um…" Kenta began to reply, looking back at Takato and Rika, and seeing no evidence of what had just happened. "Nothing, don't worry…"_'I must be seeing things…'_

* * *

_**Classroom 29**_

_**12:34 JST  
**_

Rika sat, holding her head with her hand and elbow on the desk, bored as Mrs Asaji taught English to them.

"Now, as you can see, the adverb in 'The dog quickly ran' dictates how the verb, ran, is done. This sentence is also in the past tense." Kazu put his hand up, and Mrs Asaji noticed. She sighed. "Yes Kazu?"

"Yeah, I wanted to ask, why are we learning English? I mean, I already know most of it, and everyone I know is Japanese" he said. "…or at least half-Japanese…" he added, looking towards Henry. Mrs Asaji was about to reply, but Rika interrupted, eyes flashing blue.

"**Simple…most of the world speaks English at least as a second language. I have a good grasp of English, and you have an awful grasp of English, so we can bad-talk you right in front of you without you knowing unless you straighten up and learn it, got that?"** Harmony asserted. Kazu flinched and nodded reluctantly, having now become used to Rika's alter-ego, Harmony, from her occasional takeovers of Rika. He recalled when they had first discovered Rika and Takato's secret alter-egos' from that year's holiday.

Mrs Asaji looked at Rika confused. "Erm…Mrs Nonaka, how did you do that thing with your voice?"

"Huh?" Rika replied in her normal voice.

"Never mind, I must be hearing things…now, Rika has a point, so I'll continue…" Mrs Asaji replied, dismissing the confusion and continuing with her lesson. Rika nudged Takato and grinned when he looked. Kazu and Kenta noticed this, and Henry and Jeri noticed them noticing it.

'_Looks like Kenta and Kazu suspect something…'_ Henry thought.

'_Uh oh, Rika and Takato are in for it now…'_ Jeri thought simultaneously. Terriermon, sitting on the desk, also noticed, but had different thoughts.

'_Hey, this could be fun!' _he thought, and he began to consider what he could do with this new knowledge. Henry looked straight at him.

"What's eating you Henry?" Terriermon asked.

"You'd better not be planning anything…" his tamer replied.

"What, me?"

"Just let events take their course, it's for the best, okay?"

Terriermon sighed. "Okay…" he replied reluctantly. Jeri nudged Henry.

"Henry…isn't it going to be difficult for those two here if no-one but us and them know their secret?" Jeri asked him quietly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought!" Terriermon said louder, getting looks from those in the class. When the looks had died down, he continued. "I think we should deliberately make Kazu and Kenta find out…"

"No way, Terriermon, we should just let them find out on their own…" Henry told Terriermon.

"But Hen…"

"Actually, I think Terriermon has a point…" Jeri interrupted. Henry sighed. Terriermon whispered in his ear.

"Psst…Henry…if you do this, I'll try and set you up with Jeri…" he whispered cheerily. Henry turned through several shades of red in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment. He pushed Terriermon off of the desk to distract people who were looking.

"Ow…Henry, what did you do that for?" Terriermon complained, rubbing his sore head.

"Can I please get back to teaching?!" Mrs Asaji shouted at the class.

"Go ahead Nami!" Terriermon joked.

"How do you know my first name?!" Nami Asaji complained.

"I have big ears!" Terriermon cheered, lifting his ears up. Nami looked ready to explode in anger, but subdued it and returned to teaching.

"So, what do we do?" Jeri asked Henry. Henry thought about it.

"Maybe we could…get Kazu and Kenta to catch them kissing?" Henry suggested, still reluctant about the idea.

"Yeah, but they never kiss anywhere where it is obvious, and they don't exactly kiss 24/7 like some couples…" Jeri replied. Terriermon frowned; searching for ideas had proved fruitless, until an idea hit him.

"Hey, I have an idea…" he told Henry, whispering it to him and Jeri.

* * *

_**School Grounds**_

_**13:43 JST**_

Henry sat near Takato and Rika underneath the tree, reading a book. Terriermon sat nearby, looking at him nervously, a look which he returned.

"You know Rika; it wasn't such a good idea to change to Harmony during the lesson…" Takato told Rika. Rika shrugged it off.

"Nami didn't suspect anything…" she replied.

"She's going to get really annoyed if everyone starts calling her that…" Henry noted.

"Yeah, but it's her problem…" Rika replied.

* * *

_**13:45 JST**_

"So Rika wants to challenge me to a game of digimon cards?" Kazu asked, still surprised at Jeri's information.

"Yeah…you've wanted a rematch ever since you got those new cards, why not use them?" Jeri replied.

"I don't know, something seems odd…" Kenta questioned.

"Meh, who cares? If I beat her I become the Digimon Queen…" Kazu cheered. "…I mean King…" he added quickly, noticing the sniggering from Kenta and Guardromon.

* * *

_**13:48 JST**_

'_Okay, Jeri said that she'll get them here at exactly 50 minutes past…so me and Terriermon need to make them kiss…this is going to be impossible!' _Terriermon looked at him, similar thoughts clearly going through his mind. Suddenly, a thought dawned on Henry. He stood up and walked away from the tree, Terriermon following. When they had gone out of sight around the front of the school, Terriermon voiced his concerns.

"Henry, why did we just walk away?" he asked irritated.

"I think it might be because we're there that they aren't doing anything…I'm not sure, this whole idea seems awful now…I don't know what we were thinking…"

Terriermon nodded. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and Henry's D-Arc began to bleep.

"A Digimon?" Henry questioned. Terriermon nodded.

"Where is it?" the dog-bunny asked. Henry pointed towards the side of the building, where they had just come from.

"But aren't Rika and Takato there?"

Henry nodded, and they headed round the side of the building to see a dense fog. Kazu and Kenta arrived behind them, and looked on in shock.

They heard Jeri's voice from nearby. "What's going on?" she asked, faking lack of knowledge. However, when she turned the corner, she was surprised that they were not shocked at Rika and Takato kissing, but at a digital field. "Where did that come from?" she asked.

"Where do you think?" Kenta questioned sarcastically.

"Come on Henry, it's fighting time…" Terriermon cheered. Henry nodded, and the group headed into the quickly expanding digital field, Henry pausing only to put his sunglasses on, as did a prepared Jeri. Kazu was annoyed when the fog blurred his vision.

"Hey, that's not fair, you've all got glasses!" he complained, as his vision slowly returned. Kenta sniggered. Kazu began to be able to see through the fog, to see a tree, Takato and Rika sitting near it with their partners, and a materialising small shadow in the fog in the middle of the field. Takato and Rika stood up.

"Renamon/Guilmon!" they called. The Tamers and Digimon stood watching, waiting for the fog to clear enough for them to be able to begin battle.

Suddenly, Rika was knocked off her feet by a blur. "Rika!" Takato called, bending down to help, as the others looked up to see a tiny purple-ball like digimon with a pair of arms and legs and a small yellow electric-bolt like simple on his head. He looked angry, and he raced at Terriermon, knocking him back.

"Ow, Henry, he's fast!" Terriermon complained. Henry pulled out his D-Arc.

"**Thundermon, Data Type, Champion Level, attacks are Thunder Volt and Thunder Bomber**"

"He's fast too!" Kazu added. "Guardromon!" he called.

"GUARDIAN BARRAGE!" Guardromon yelled, firing missiles at the tiny beast, who easily dodged, and rammed Guardromon to the ground.

"He's too fast, we can't get him!" Kenta complained. Thundermon now set his sights on Jeri, and shot towards her.

"Jeri!" Henry called out.

"FIST OF THE BEAST KING" yelled a new voice, as Leomon punched Thundermon out of the way just in time. Thundermon hit the ground, creating a crater. He stood up again.

"DIAMOND STORM" yelled Renamon, as the shards streaked down towards the pint-sized powerhouse, but Thundermon simply dodged, after which he hit Guilmon, who hit the tree hard. Renamon turned to look, but was flung forward on top of him.

"How can we be having so much trouble with such a small Digimon?" Takato questioned from his position on the ground. Rika seemed to be bruised, but nothing worse. Takato helped her up, and she rested with her arm over his shoulder.

"Henry, this is what I'm made for!" Terriermon cheered. Henry nodded, drawing a card.

"**DIGI-MODIFY…Matrix Digivolution Activate!**" he yelled, swiping the blue card through his D-Arc.

**MATRIX DIGIVOLUTION…**

**Terriermon Digivolve to…Rapidmon**

"This is more like it!" Rapidmon cheered, opening his gun barrels. "RAPID…" he yelled. Thundermon turned around and flew towards him. Rapidmon suddenly vanished, and Thundermon was surprised. "Over here pint-sized!" Rapidmon taunted, appearing behind him. "…FIRE!" he finished, firing the missiles at Thundermon, who disintegrated. Rapidmon absorbed the data, and turned back to Henry. "And that is why they call me Rapidmon!" he cheered triumphantly. Henry smiled, then frowned as he looked at Rika.

"Are you okay Rika?" Takato asked her.

"Yeah, but it really hurts…" she said, clutching her side in pain.

Renamon winced, this was far too familiar.

"_**Look Kitty, this is how all the Digidestined will look soon enough…"**_

She winced as she recalled the harsh words, and the sight of Kari being struck by Puppetmon's mallet.

Takato held Rika close, and kissed her. She returned the kiss.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Kazu called out. He pointed to Takato, and then to Rika, speechless.

"Oh crap…" Rika moaned, realising their mistake.

Kazu turned white, and fainted, followed by Kazu. Rika laughed.

"I guess it's not all bad…" she joked.

"What is going on?" asked a voice. The Tamers (except the still unconscious Kazu and Kenta), looked round in surprise to see Mrs Asaji.

"It was a Digimon, Thundermon…" Henry replied.

"Yes, but…not meaning to pry…but…" Mrs Asaji tried to ask politely.

"Yes, we are in love, yes, this is by no means a new thing, no, I'm not badly injured, any other questions?" Rika put it bluntly. Mrs Asaji decided to avoid prying any further.

"I guess I'll see you all in class after lunch…" she finished, leaving them behind.

"Okay, that was embarrassing!" Rika said, finally being able to talk without fear.

"What do we do when they wake up?" Takato asked.

"Wipe their memories?" Rika suggested. Takato shook his head.

"Not really a smart idea, they'll find out some way somehow…I guess we'll just have to put up with it…" Takato replied. Rika sighed.

"I was hoping this would never happen…"

"Same…Kazu isn't going to take this without joking…"

"They're waking up…" Henry told them, distracting them from their conversation. Rika grinned and grabbed Takato quickly, pulling him into a deep kiss as Kazu and Kenta opened their eyes. They fainted again.

"I can do this all day…" Rika told Takato, pulling out of the kiss. "It definitely makes up for the loss of the secret…"

Takato simply nodded, and looked down at his fainted friends. "So what do we do with them?" Jeri asked.

Henry, Takato and Rika considered their options. Terriermon suddenly jumped up and down.

"I know!" he cheered.

* * *

_**14:07 JST**_

Kazu awoke gradually, looking around to see where he was, and whether he had been seeing things. Suddenly, he noticed that he was upside down.

"What the hell?" he shouted surprised. He looked down…or rather up…to see he was tied by his foot to the tree. Kenta hung next to him, in the same situation. The other Tamers watched, chuckling.

"Hey Kazu, how's it hanging?" mocked Terriermon.

"This is my revenge for years of annoyance…" Rika told them.

"Help us down!" Kenta panicked.

The bell rang and the Tamers left them to walk to lesson, followed by a smiling MarineAngemon and Guardromon.

"HEY, SOMEBODY HELP US!" Kazu yelled. He sighed as no help came.

"How do we get ourselves into these messes?" asked Kenta.

"I have no idea…but WE NEED HELP!" yelled Kazu again. Someone chuckled behind them and Kazu looked fearful, as he tried to turn his head round. "Who's there?"

"Whoever it is, help us down…"

"Fine…" the female voice said. It was hardened, yet still had a soft femininity to it. Kazu felt the rope move, and he suddenly dropped to the ground. Kenta soon was similarly dropped. After wiping the dust out of their clothes, they stood up and turned around, to see a redhead with hazel eyes, wearing jeans and a red t-shirt with a Digimon symbol on it

"Who are you?" Kazu asked. "You look at lot like Rika…"

The girl reacted oddly to the name Rika. She flinched slightly, before replying. "The name's Rey…and that is all you need to know…" she told them. "Now, if you don't mind, my partner Rejimon and I will be leaving now…" she added, turning to leave. That was when they noticed a small red blob with white ears on her shoulder.

"But who are you?" asked Kenta.

"I would tell you, but you wouldn't believe it…" she replied, sighing and pulling a small device out of her pocket, along with a list. "These numbers aren't helping, did he just guess these at random or something?" she muttered, eying the list. "And this device is so inaccurate, I'm surprised that we've only landed on Earth, Mars doesn't seem like an unlikely destination with the way this works" she added, twisting the dial and pressing buttons. When she finished, she looked at two Tamers. "I'd advise you not to tell anyone about me, although I have a feeling someone already knows…" she said, before pressing the button. She suddenly vanished into thin air with a flash of light.

"What…was that?" Kazu said gobsmacked.

"I have no idea…but we need to get to class…" Kenta told his friend, who nodded.

* * *

_**Classroom 29**_

_**15:12 JST**_

Thanks to Mrs Asaji, and their lateness, neither Kazu nor Kenta had had a chance to talk to the others. Takato and Rika seemed largely quiet, and Rika's injury seemed to have suddenly subsided. Henry and Jeri were also quiet, although all four and partners had chuckled when Kazu and Kenta turned up late and needed to apologise. However, school was soon to end, and they would have a chance to talk to them.

"And so it seems that we have come to the end of our first day…I guess it hasn't been too painful, I've only needed two headache tablets…" Mrs Asaji commented. "Takato…tomorrow, you need to be here on time…" she told Takato, who looked surprised.

"Who, me?"

"Yes…" Mrs Asaji replied. The bell rung. "Don't forget Takato…class dismissed…" she said, as the pupils began to leave. Kazu stood up, and walked over to Takato and Rika's desk.

"Okay, we deserve answers…" Kazu demanded.

"Why should we tell you?" Rika asked.

"Simple…does a girl called Rey sound familiar to any of you?" Kazu asked. Rika blinked.

"No way…have you seen her too?" Rika asked, genuinely surprised.

"Yes, and we'll tell you more if you tell us more…" Kenta replied. Rika thought about it, and nodded.

"Okay, but we'll go to the park first…"

* * *

_**Guilmon's Hideout**_

_**16:06 JST**_

"So, now we're here, do you care to explain about the whole you and Takato thing?" Kazu asked.

"First of all, drop the bluntness; I'm doing this because I want to figure out this whole Rey mystery." Rika replied.

"I still don't know, who the hell is Rey?" asked Takato.

"We'll get to that, but first, we'd like to know…" Kazu questioned.

"First of all, I'd like to know something…" Renamon interrupted.

"That being what?" Kazu asked in reply.

"Why did you invite the rest of the Tamers here as well?" Renamon replied, looking around to see the additions to the group of Ryo, Suzie, Ai and Mako, along with their partners, all of whom seemed confused about why they were there.

"So that the words 'You'll have to keep it a secret' can never occur in this conversation…" Kazu replied.

"Kazu, isn't this a bit mean?" asked Kenta.

"No, of course not, it's simply revenge…" replied Kazu.

"I pity you…" Rika said bluntly. "Okay, where to begin…me and Takato have been together, as a couple, for…let's see…nearly two years now…since we got our Digimon back…"

"What?" came the surprised reaction from those who didn't already know. Takato nodded.

"The reason we didn't tell you is exactly because of what Kazu is doing now…" Takato added. "Look, neither of us wanted to tell everyone…"

"Why should we have to…it's a private matter…?" Rika asked. She then sighed. She then began to smile, and walked towards Kazu. "Now, for your end of the bargain…"

"Okay, fine. Right, what happened is, you tied us up in that tree. We were freed by a girl who looked remarkably like Rika, but at the same time wasn't." Kazu explained.

"Did she have red hair, red Digimon shirt…about 15 or 16 years old?" Rika asked. Kazu nodded.

"Yeah, that's it. She called herself Rey."

"What did she do after she freed you?" Ryo asked.

"She told us her name, and then said that that was all we needed to know. She also told us that her partner is called Rejimon…" Kenta answered.

"Never heard of it…" Rika said to the group.

"Neither have I…" Renamon added. "What level do you think it was?"

"Well, it was a small blob with white ears, so either Baby or In-Training. It didn't speak at all though…so I'd guess at Baby." Kenta replied. Renamon nodded.

"I don't get it, what's so notable about this gal?" asked Impmon. "Surely we could just go looking for her if she's important?"

"No, we can't" Kazu replied. "She has this device…she muttered about it being inaccurate and landing them in places…I didn't really understand, but then she hit a button and vanished, pausing only to advise us not to tell no-one about her, but adding that she suspected someone already knows of her."

"Anything else?" Takato asked.

"Well…it's probably a minor detail…" Kenta said, recalling the event. "…but…when Kazu mentioned that she looked like Rika…she flinched…as if recalling something…it was strange…it's because of that and her suspicion that someone already knew of her that we asked you Rika."

"But…she didn't see me…even if she did, how did she know my name?" Rika questioned.

"When did you see her?" Takato asked.

"In the Digidestined's world. It was when Chaos and Harmony had that argument. Before ending up in that strange world, I went back to my house…although it actually wasn't my house. When I was there…I was looking around the room, and I saw the device with a dial…but I heard someone coming so I hid…she came down the hallway, and into the room, telling my grandmother, or at least her equivalent, that she hadn't found what she was looking for, and she thanked her for letting her use the spare room, which in this world is my bedroom…" Rika said, recalling the sad events of the previous year, when she had seen her dad, and her mother, happy without her.

"Anything particularly stand out? Any small details?" Henry asked.

"Well, on the back of the device. It had two letters, presumably initials…"

"What were they?"

"Well, that's the thing. There are actually three letters. However, one has been rubbed out, and another added, so that the initials change."

"What did they change from and to?"

"Well, they said RS. And now they say RM."

"A change of name? Marriage perhaps?" Ryo suggested.

"Are you for real? She's 15 or 16 years old!" Rika replied irritated.

"Then what is it?" asked a 10 year old Suzie.

"Well…I think the device changed owners. From RS to RM." Henry suggested.

"So which one is Rey? RS or RM?" Terriermon asked.

"I have no idea, but I presume the later…but Rey M or Rey S…what does that tell us?" Henry replied.

"Rey is a common name, she could be from anywhere in Japan…if she's even from this world…" Ryo replied.

"So…what do we do?" Takato asked.

"What can we do Takato?" Rika replied. "I think we just need to keep our eyes open…if anyone sees her…contact us, and try to get as much info as possible…okay?"

The group nodded. "In which case, I need to get home…" Henry told them.

"Yeah, me too…" Jeri added.

"And me…" Ryo said. Gradually, most of the Tamers bid farewell, leaving just Rika and Takato, who sat in the tranquil setting of the park.

"Are you okay Rika?" Takato asked.

"Yeah, the wound's healed up nicely…" Rika replied.

"Not that…I meant…telling everyone and that…"

"Yeah…it didn't go too badly…"

"Good that we got distracted by that whole Rey thing eh?"

Rika nodded. "Yeah…"

"Well, I've got to go help out at the bakery…" Takato said, standing up to leave.

"Okay, see you tomorrow at school…"

"Okay…" Takato replied, as he pulled Rika into a kiss, before leaving.

Rika watched him walk away. _'RM…who could it be?'_ She thought. Suddenly, a thought dawned on her. _'RM…Matsuki…Rey Matsuki…but…that's impossible…who the hell? If that is her name…then who is she…does Takato have a sister…in another world?'_

She brushed her red hair away from her eyes.

'_Or…is it something much more sinister…'_

THE END

* * *

A helluva big mystery there that will take a while to be solved. Regardless, review please.

Next time…

Who is this great enemy? Who is Rey? How is she connected to the Tamers, and Takato specifically?

Find out the answers (to at least some of these questions) in Dimensions Book Three: Evils, coming soon to a near you.


	3. Sister Act

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but I do own the OCs introduced in this story and later stories (except where stated).

And now we have another interlude between books, so here's an Extra Dimension to the story. Kristy Nonaka is basically identical as a character to Kristy Damon in Data Squad, but obviously in a different situation, and not from the Data Squad quadrant either.

It's also going to be a sort of expanded Diary entry story, so we'll find out about thoughts and feelings of our favourite couple as they head into the life changing events of the next few books, when a lot is due to be revealed, and to happen.

This story starts a few minutes after Evils ends.

**Note: This story occurs between Evils and Gods.**

* * *

_**EXTRA DIMENSIONS**_

**STORY THREE**

_Sister Act  
_

By Blazing Chaos

* * *

**11TH JANUARY 2010****  
**

* * *

_**Nonaka Residence**_

_**11:50 JST**_

"Mum, I'm going to the park…" Rika called, walking to the door of her home, hair now back up in its usual style, hairband and all, and scorched clothes replaced by identical clothes. Renamon followed her, as did a certain girl with pigtails.

"I'm coming too…" Kristy insisted.

"Suit yourself…" Rika replied.

"Huh?" Kristy said confused, not expecting the reaction. Rika picked up a jacket, and threw one to Kristy.

"Well, put it on then…"

"Oh, right…" Kristy realised, snapping to and putting the coat, a dull pink one that Rika found nauseating. Kristy, Kudamon on her shoulders, followed Rika out of the door. Rika turned left and headed along the pathways and alleyways away from her home. There was silence; neither girl spoke, until it began to drive Kristy insane and she decided to ask a question. "So why did you put your hair up?" she asked.

"I normally have it like this; my hairband just got destroyed…"

"Ok…"

Silence ensued as they reached the main road and headed along its pavements.

"So do you have any idea why we have suddenly become sisters?" Kristy asked.

"Hmm…maybe…"

"Yeah?"

"**Perhaps you were from a different quadrant to me and when the quadrants collapsed in on each other, we all ended up in the same world…"**

"What's with your voice?"

"Huh? What?"

"It went all different..."

"I'm not sure what you are talking about." Rika insisted. Kristy was about to reply, but Rika continued. "However, that idea doesn't explain why no-one notices that everything has been merged, and more importantly, why we remember it…"

"Hmm…"

They had now entered the park with its tree lined paths and neatly trimmed grass.

"So where are we going?" Kristy asked.

"We're going to the hideout…"

"The…hideout?"

"Yeah, it's a utility cupboard that we used to hide Guilmon in before Takato's parents knew of him. We now use it as a sort of meeting spot."

"I see…" Kudamon answered.

Rika turned the corner and they reached the hideout. She smiled. "Hey Honey…" she called, seeing Takato sitting on the steps. He nodded.

"Hey…" he replied. "Hey Kristy…" he greeted.

"Hey Takato…" Kristy replied, grinning. Rika sat next to Takato, and kissed him on the cheek.

Takato smiled. He looked over to see Kristy, holding a much larger grin on her face. "What's with Kristy and the grinning?" Takato asked Rika quietly.

"Meh, she's a child and I told her that you and I are boyfriend and girlfriend, she must find it funny…"

"I see…" Takato replied.

"Kudamon…" Kristy asked, as her partner leapt off her shoulder.

"Yes?" he asked.

"What are we meant to…you know…do?"

"In what way?"

"As partners of course!"

"I'm not sure…"

"Hey Rika, Takato, what do you guys do as…you know…Tamers?" Kristy asked.

"We handle bioemerges mostly…" Takato explained.

"Biomerges?" Kristy asked confused.

"When a digimon leaves the digital world and arrives here. They normally have to be deleted before they harm anyone." Rika explained, rolling her eyes at Takato's lack of an understandable explanation.

"That sounds a bit mean…"

"Unfortunately, there is really no other way in most cases…" Takato replied, frowning. Kristy frowned.

"We do it to protect this world…" Guilmon explained. Renamon nodded.

"If we could, we would try a different tact, but we haven't found any other ways" the Kitsune explained.

"I see…" Kristy replied. "I want to help you protect this world!" she insisted, expecting retaliation.

"Okay…" Rika answered.

"What?" Kristy asked.

"I said okay…"

"We could use the help…" Takato noted. "Here, I'll tell you how the D-Arc works…" he added, holding out his gold-ringed D-Arc.

"Wow, it's really pretty with all that gold."

Takato chuckled. "Thanks…" he replied. "Anyway…" he added, returning to his professionalism and showing Kristy the screen of the device, before pressing the buttons. "The two buttons here switch between the screens. There is a clock, data storage areas, partner-finding compass, bioemergence finding compass, digimon lists, settings areas, and of course, the viewfinder hologram, the most useful of all." The hologram now shone out of the device, showing Guilmon's current vision, which paradoxically, was over Takato's shoulder at the screen, creating a very confusing repetitive effect.

"Wow…that's so cool…" Kristy said in awe, before pulling out her own D-Arc. She flicked through the screens, finally coming to settle on Kudamon's viewpoint, of Kristy. "That's really cool…" she added, her enthusiasm quickly dying. "…what does this button do?"

"That's the power button…" Takato noted. Kristy blushed with embarrassment, recognising the symbol on the button itself.

"Oh yeah…"

"And then, of course, there is the best feature of all…"

"Takato, I think I'll explain, okay?" Rika suggested.

Takato frowned, but then nodded when he realised that Rika would probably explain it better than him.

"This is the card slot. We can use Digimon Cards, such as…this one…for example…" she explained, holding out a speed card. "Renamon, if you please…" she gestured to her partner, who nodded.

"With pleasure…" she replied.

"DIGI-MODIFY...SPEED ACTIVATE!" Rika yelled, swiping the card through the slot. Renamon's legs tensed as she felt energy in them, and she leapt forward at high speed. Kristy blinked in surprise at the movement. Suddenly, Renamon vanished.

"Huh, where'd she go?"

"Over here…" she taunted, and Kristy turned round to face her, giggling.

"That was fast!"

"Renamon is pretty fast anyway. The speed modifiers have a better effect on slower digimon." Takato explained. Kristy nodded.

"Rika, card?" Kristy called, putting her hand out to Rika. Rika cocked her head at first, until she cottoned onto the message and handed her sister a few cards. "Cheers…ready Kudamon?"

"As you wish…" Kudamon replied.

"DIGI-MODIFY…Power Activate!" she called, slashing the card diagonally through the Digivice. Kudamon glowed as the power ran through him.

"This is impressive…" Kudamon said.

"Try it out..." Kristy suggested.

"What is my target?"

"Him!" Rika called, pointing at Guilmon.

"Huh?" Guilmon asked in confusion. Kudamon leapt at him, and he was thrown back. "Ow…" he moaned in pain.

Kristy giggled, and Rika smiled. "Rika, that wasn't fair…" Renamon scolded. Rika grinned.

"Yeah, but fun…" she replied.

"You know, I thought the days of you attacking Guilmon were over…" came a familiar child-like voice. Rika turned to see Henry, Terriermon waving his long ears from his shoulder. Suzie was following him, with Lopmon on her head.

"Kudamon, new target…" Rika began.

"Kristy, do you approve?" Kudamon asked, looking up to his partner.

"Who are you?" Terriermon asked, looking at Kudamon. Suzie held up her D-Arc.

"Kudamon, Vaccine Type, Rookie Level, attacks Crystal Aura and Shining Blast" she quoted.

"I am the rookie form of Reppamon." Kudamon replied.

"Aha…who are you?" Suzie asked, seeing Kristy.

"Kristy Nonaka!" she replied, curtseying. "Pleased to meet ya!"

"Nonaka?!" Terriermon asked in surprise. Rika stood behind Kristy and put her hand on her little sister's shoulder, smiling slightly.

"This is my sister, Kristy…" she introduced.

"You have a sister?" Lopmon asked.

"It's one of those parallel universe things…" Takato explained.

"Hmm…" Henry pondered.

"Hey Rika, now you have another person to get angry at, I'm safe, right?" Terriermon asked, smiling.

"Wrong…" Rika replied. "I like my sister…"

Terriermon sweatdropped and sighed. "I give up…"

* * *

**13TH JANUARY 2010****  
**

* * *

_**Nonaka Household**_

_**16:18 JST**_

"I hate my sister…" Rika moaned, falling down on her futon. Renamon materialised. The light outside of the house had begun to die down, and Rika's bag had been thrown aside.

"What is the problem?" she asked.

"We had an argument…"

Renamon chuckled quietly.

"Did you just laugh?"

"Sorry…you seem to have a knack of starting arguments, that's all…"

"I know…but…" Rika groaned. "I can't stand her! Her and her childish little innocence, pulling my hairband out and switching the milk at breakfast for water! And I return home from school, and she teases me!"

"Are you sure you aren't just exaggerating? I mean, it is that time…"

"No, she drives me mad!" Rika moaned, burying her head in the pillow. Renamon sighed.

* * *

Kristy kicked the pillow, frowning and clenching her fists. "I only pulled her hairband out, why did she have to get all angry?!" she complained. Kudamon, sitting on the floor in her room, frowned. The room was a few doors along from Rika's room, on the other side of the bathroom. The sliding door was closed and the house was quiet, although tense. Rumiko was at a fashion shoot, and Seiko was food shopping.

"Please calm down Kristy…" Kudamon pleaded.

"But I can't…she drives me mad!"

Kudamon frowned. "Kristy…I think that Rika has far more on her mind than she lets on to you."

"Huh? What like?"

"I am not sure…but you must have seen those occasional blank stares into thin air she has, along with her strange mood swings…"

"Yeah…so?"

Kudamon sighed. "To be honest, I have no idea myself…"

Kristy frowned. She was suddenly interrupted by a beeping noise. "Huh?" she enquired, before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her pale blue D-Arc. "What do I do?"

The D-Arc automatically switched to the correct screen. Kristy's eyes widened, as the holographic compass appeared.

"What should we do?" asked Kristy, looking to her partner.

"This must be a bioemergence…" Kudamon replied. "Do you wish to go and find it?"

"Of course…" Kristy replied, holding out her arm. Kudamon ran up it, and onto Kristy's shoulders. Kristy turned and slid the door aside, stepping through, and then headed to the front door via the hallway. She opened it quietly and left.

* * *

Renamon's ears twitched, and she noticed the glow for a fraction of a second. She looked across to Rika, still pouting in her futon. She frowned, and concentrated her energy. _'Rika needs time to think…'_

The alarm silently stopped, and the glow vanished.

'_Someone else will deal with it…it is not like there is only a small group of Tamers now…'_

* * *

**_East Shinjuku_**

**_16:36 JST_**

The streets were quiet at this time of night, and in the middle of the roadway, the ground seemed to have a hole in it.

Upon closer inspection, the hole seemed to pulse and move, and then almost fell downwards through the ground. Material seemed to fall into it as if it were bubbles from a bath swirling down the drain, and then likewise it gurgled up, swelling before exploding upwards in a geyser of light.

Kristy arrived and watched this ordeal, stationary from the pavement. Kudamon on her shoulders was equally shocked. A thick mist descended on the area, surprising Kristy.

"What's going on?" she questioned. She clutched her digivice in her hand and felt her cards in her back pocket. She bit her lip. "Here goes nothing…"

A shadowed figure appeared in the mist. The figure was bug-like, and short. It had a big head, and long thin bony arms and body. Its body was completely blue, and topped by small bug-like ears.

Kristy held up her D-Arc. "Keramon, Unknown Type, Rookie Level…attacks are Bug Blaster and Network Flapping…ready Kudamon?"

"Yes…"

Keramon turned to face them, and Kudamon used this as his chance to strike. He leapt forward, straight at Keramon, who promptly leapt aside and prepared to attack.

"BUG BLASTER!" he yelled, firing a blast of data at the ferret. Kudamon rolled aside, and prepared to attack, but was surprised by another attack. "BUG BLASTER!" Keramon yelled again, and Kudamon barely dodged as the roadway exploded. Kristy covered her eyes as the wind blew the dust up, and opened them again to see Keramon facing her. She winced in fear.

"Kristy!" Kudamon yelled. "CRYSTAL AURA" he called, as his red earring glowed. The radiant aura created dazzled Keramon, who flinched, giving an opening for Kudamon to attack. The pattern on Kudamon's back glowed gold. "SHINING BLAST!" he summoned, as a holy beam of energy from his mouth was released, which collided with Keramon and kicked smoke and dust into the air.

"Thanks Kudamon…" Kristy told her partner, who landed near her.

"Thank you…" he answered, before turning back to Keramon. "Kristy, I request power…"

"Right…DIGI-MODIFY…Power Activate!" Kristy yelled. Keramon glowed, and his pattern glowed gold once again.

"SHINING BLAST!" he called, as the finishing blow shot towards Keramon. Kristy cheered, as the explosion hit the bug-like digimon.

"We did it!" she cheered. "Great work Kudamon…"

"UNCONNECT BLASTER!" came a voice out of the smoke, as a pair of long black thin tentacles with diamond shaped ends shot out of it.

"Kristy!" Kudamon yelled, leaping to push his partner to the ground, which she hit hard and slid slightly. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah…back hurts a bit but otherwise fine…what happened?" she asked.

"He digivolved…" Kudamon replied, looking at the blue, cocoon-like digimon with a sharp red horn out of its head, six long thin black tentacles with blue diamond shaped ends with sharp blades, and a sharp tusk on the bottom of the cocoon.

"To what?" she asked. She held out her D-Arc. "Let's see…Chrysalimon, Unknown Type, Champion Level, attacks Data Crusher, Unconnect Blaster, Internet Surge"

"He has increased his power by digivolving; I am going to need modify cards to get through this." Kudamon told his partner, who nodded.

"DIGI-MODIFY…Speed Activate!" Kristy yelled, swiping the card crossways through her D-Arc. Kudamon leapt forward quickly at Chrysalimon and leapt into the air. Chrysalimon grabbed Kudamon with his tentacles, and Kudamon struggled to get free. "Kudamon!" Kristy called for her partner, but it merely attracted the attention of the enemy digimon. Chrysalimon turned to her and opened his mouth.

"DATA CRUSHER" he yelled, as a ball of yellow energy fired from his mouth.

"KRISTY!" Kudamon yelled in fear. Kristy crossed her arms in a vain attempt at self-preservation. The blast threw her to the ground as it hit her, and she slid along the ground a short distance. Kudamon, thrown to the ground by Keramon, ran promptly to her aid, and his eyes widened as he noticed that she had hardly sustained any injuries, excepting a few scratches and a grazed back. Kristy stood up, slightly weakly, and looked down at herself.

"How…how did I survive?" she asked.

"Kristy, we have to retaliate!" Kudamon told his partner. Kristy nodded, and pulled a card out of her pocket, before smiling at what she saw.

"Perfect…" she noted. "DIGI-MODIFY…Digivolution Activate!" she called out, slashing the card diagonally through the D-Arc. Reppamon glowed.

**DIGIVOLUTION**

**Kudamon Digivolve to…**

The pale blue wire mesh orb encircled Kudamon. He changed into a green wire mesh, and his form extended to front and back. A fox-like mask appeared on his face, and a sharp blue blade-like tail shot out of his rear.

…**Reppamon!**

"Back to Reppamon…" Reppamon noted. "Are you ready Kristy?" he asked. Kristy nodded.

"Go get him!" she ordered. Reppamon leapt forward at the cocoon-like digimon and spun into a ball shape with blade sticking out, spinning through the air.

"FLIP BLADE!" Reppamon hit Keramon hard and threw him to the ground, bruise across his body from the blade hitting him. Keramon pushed himself back up, and aimed at Reppamon.

"INTERNET SURGE!" he yelled, the spike on his bottom launching a beam of energy at Reppamon. Reppamon landed on the ground and quickly dodged. Reppamon prepared his claws and leapt at Keramon.

"WILD CLAW!" he called, wildly tearing at Keramon with his claws. Keramon was thrown to the ground. Keramon growled angrily, as his tentacles shot towards the fox.

"UNCONNECT BLASTER"

Reppamon's eyes narrowed as he concentrated on his foe, ignoring the tentacles shooting towards him, getting closer and closer as Kristy's eyes became wider and wider. Reppamon's tail moved slightly right to left.

"WIND SCYTHE!" he yelled suddenly, as Keramon was hit by invisible blades of wind and burst into data, the tentacles doing likewise. Reppamon floated in the air as he absorbed the data.

"You did it!" Kristy cheered.

"We did it..." Reppamon corrected her. "Your help was paramount to my win…"

"Right…wow, we caused a lot of damage…" surveyed Kristy, looking around at the damaged road. She turned to her partner and held up her D-Arc. "Now let's see…Reppamon, Vaccine Type, Champion Level, attacks Wild Claw, Flip Blade, Wind Scythe…hmm…"

"What is it?"

"Can I ride on you?" she asked. Reppamon nodded, and Kristy climbed onto his back. "How fast can you…" she began, before Reppamon leapt into motion, racing along the roads. "Whoa, this is fun!"

* * *

_**Nonaka Residence**_

_**17:01 JST**_

Kristy quietly slid the door across, and Reppamon followed her into their home. Reppamon glowed, before shrinking back to Kudamon, who leapt onto his partner's shoulder.

"It's very quiet…" Kristy noted. Kudamon nodded. "Rika, I'm home!" she called out. She walked down the hallway, and paused when the sliding door of the bedroom on the other side of the bathroom opened. Rika stepped out, and looked at her oddly. Renamon stood nearby.

"When did you go out?" she asked.

"We just took out a Digimon! You should've seen it, it was a Keramon, and then he digivolved to Chrysalimon, and Kudamon digivolved and…"

"Yes, I should have seen it. Hmm…Renamon…" she called, turning to Renamon, who Kristy noticed had vanished into thin air. Rika frowned when Renamon didn't appear. "Where is she?" Rika pondered, before turning back to Kristy. Her eyes widened when she noticed Kristy's injuries, consisting of various scratches and bruises on her arms, along with some damage to her clothes. "What happened?!" she asked in surprise.

"Chrysalimon attacked me directly" she replied.

"And you got hit?!"

"Yeah…"

"But…why…how did you survive that?"

"How should I know?"

"How did you even let him attack you?"

"Kudamon was trapped by tentacles, and Chrysalimon attacked me."

"I apologise for letting my guard down," humbly added Kudamon.

"You don't have to apologise!" Kristy replied.

"You can never let your guard down…" Rika disagreed. "We learnt that the hard way."

"I'm sorry…" Kristy replied looking at the floor.

"Don't apologise…" Rika told her. "Look, just tell me next time and I'll…help you out…" Rika told her, struggling on her words slightly.

"Thanks…" Kristy replied, hugging her bigger sister. Rika wasn't entirely sure how to react at first, but soon she hugged back.

"No problem…" she replied eventually.

* * *

**18TH JANUARY 2010****  
**

* * *

_**Shinjuku Park Tennis Courts**_

_**13:14 JST**_

"Ready Kristy?" Rika asked. She, Kristy, Takato, Henry and Suzie, with partners, faced a digital field appearing in the park, in the same place where Guilmon and Renamon had once fought when they first met.

"Yeah…" she replied.

"Good…" Rika added.

Takato held up his D-Arc and pointed it at the fiery digimon that had bioemerged. "Meramon, Data Type, Champion Level, attacks Fireball, Burning Fist, Magma Blast and Fire Blast"

Henry, Suzie and Kristy prepared cards, and held them up, alongside their D-Arcs, Green, Pink and Pale Blue respectively.

"DIGI-MODIFY…Digivolution Activate!" Henry called.

"DIGI-MODIFY…Digivolution Activate!" Kristy echoed.

**DIGIVOLUTION**

**Terriermon Digivolve to…Gargomon**

**Kudamon Digivolve to…Reppamon**

**MATRIX DIGIVOLUTION**

**Lopmon Digivolve to…Antylamon**

"DIGI-MODIFY…Matrix Digivolution Activate!" Suzie yelled, swiping a summoned blue card through her D-Arc.

"Renamon?" Rika called.

"As you wish…" she replied, before leaping into the air and crossing her arms, summoning diamonds of ice. "DIAMOND STORM" she yelled as the diamonds shot at one of the Meramon. They hit the beast and exploded, Renamon backflipping and landing back on the ground gracefully, bending her knees slightly as she did so. The Meramon's midsection flared up as he walked towards Renamon menacingly. Renamon frowned. "Rika, he's made of fire, we need a new strategy…" Rika nodded and began to look through her cards, while Gargomon moved into the fray.

"GARGO LASERS!" he roared. The blasts hit their target and exploded, but the Meramon was only slightly fazed.

"Hmm…seems like a tough one…Rika, are you sure this will be a good first battle for her?" Suzie asked.

"Of course…" she replied, spinning a card through the air sideways. Kristy caught it quickly and accurately.

"Cheers! DIGI-MODIFY, Shellmon's Hydro Pressure Activate!" she called out. You see, this was Kristy's first battle alongside the others, and so they wanted to make sure she wouldn't end up injured like last time. Antylamon, an ultimate, was their insurance in case anything went wrong, and both Renamon and Gargomon were testing the bioemerged digimon to insure that he was powerful enough to be a challenge but weak enough for Kristy to be able to defeat him.

Reppamon's mouth glowed as water amassed in it. "HYPRO PRESSURE" he yelled, as he fired a blast of concentrated water at the fiery humanoid digimon, who roared in pain as the water hit him. The recoil from the highly strong blast pushed Reppamon back slightly and he dug his claws into the floor.

"Nice shot…" Kristy complimented.

"Don't let your guard down!" Rika scolded. Kristy frowned, but nodded in agreement recalling her previous battle. Meramon roared, and ran towards Reppamon.

"Concentrate!" Kristy ordered. Reppamon's eyes narrowed, as he targeted his opponent. He prepared his tail, pulling it in close to his form and sticking it out sharply. He rolled into a ball and rolled towards his opponent at speed. Meramon screamed in pain as he was split in two by the high-speed ball, Reppamon then landing neatly on the floor, although his foot stumbled slightly.

Gargomon and Guilmon jokingly held up cards with a number 6 and 7 respectively. Renamon smiled at Guilmon's antics, while Henry scolded Gargomon.

"Gargomon!"

"What? He stumbled!"

"I at least deserve an eight…" Reppamon noted arrogantly, in an odd side of his personality that had only recently become more apparent. Gargomon chuckled.

Rika groaned.

* * *

**29TH JANUARY 2010****  
**

* * *

_**Nonaka Residence**_

_**16:20 JST**_

"Yay, presents!" Kristy cheered, looking around at the amassed Digidestined and Tamers who had been able to make it to the party for her eleventh birthday. Rika smiled, as did Rumiko as they watched her open her presents.

"Well, what else was there to get you?" Rika joked, as Kristy opened a pack of cards and a deck holder. The third so far. Other than that, she had got some more typically 'girly' stuff, two pale blue hairband, a new set of clothes which Rumiko had selected (that Rika was actually quite impressed at, as they were not dresses or skirts, but instead were a pair of blue jeans and a pink shirt with white arms, that she didn't doubt Kristy would probably use as her 'Tamer' outfit, following in Rika's footsteps to some extent), and, of course…

"Kudamon's evolution line?!" Kristy asked in surprise, seeing the four cards in a line, Kudamon, Reppamon, Quilinmon and Sleipmon. All were rare and holographic.

"How do you do it Takato?" Rika asked, looking at him in equal surprise.

"Do what?"

"How do you manage to get these cards?"

"Luck, money, and favours…oh, and Chaos…" he replied, silently mouthing the name.

"Huh?" Kristy questioned, looking up in confusion at how Takato had stopped talking mid sentence. She looked to Kudamon for clues, but he shook his head. Kristy shrugged her shoulders, deciding that it wasn't worth finding out. "Thanks everyone…" she told the audience cheerfully.

"There is still one more present dear…" Seiko told Kristy, handing her a small box. She opened it carefully, and found a simple gold-stringed necklace with a small pendant consisting of a small golden triangle attached off-centre to a small golden circle, looking oddly like a 9.

"Wow…it's really pretty…" she said in awe, watching the light glisten off it.

"Where did you get it?" Mimi asked curiously. "I've never seen anything like it…"

"That is the strangest thing…" Seiko replied. "I was given it…"

Rika's eyes widened. "I should get one, it looks fantastic. Who gave it to you?" Mimi asked.

"It was a girl, about 15 or 16 years old, with red hair, a similar colour to Rika's I think."

Rika turned to look at her grandmother. "Did she have red hair hung loose, and a red Digimon shirt?" she asked.

"Yes, that is her. Why, have you met her?"

"Once…" Rika replied. "What did she say?"

"She said that Kristy should hold that and hope for good fortune and success…" Seiko told her.

"Hmm…" Rika pondered.

"I found it strange that she knew my daughter's name, but she was gone before I could ask. It was like she vanished into thin air."

"Who do you think it is?" Kristy asked.

Rika stared into thin air for a second, before shaking her head. "Never mind…"

Kristy nodded, and put on the necklace. "I'll wear it always" she promised, before turning to her Grandmother. "Thanks Grandma, mysterious girl…" she thanked, clutching the pendant.

* * *

**14TH FEBRUARY 2010****  
**

* * *

_**Nonaka Residence**_

_**08:57 JST**_

"Happy Valentines Day…" Takato said cheerfully, standing up.

"Nice work Takato…" Rika said sarcastically smiling, looking at one of his typical blunders. It was a particularly rainy Valentines Day, and Takato had fallen headfirst into a puddle outside the Nonaka Household, along with the roses he was holding. Kristy, standing behind Rika, and Renamon, eying Guilmon as always from her position standing against the wall, chuckled. Takato's hair was now wet, and for an oddly rare occasion, so were his Goggles. "Come in, we'll dry you off…" Rika invited, and Takato gratefully accepted.

"Remember to take your shoes off dear…" Seiko advised. Rumiko was on a date with a fellow model, a relationship that Rika and Seiko didn't doubt would end in failure, despite Kristy's oblivious optimism about it.

"There's a towel in the bathroom…" Rika told her boyfriend, and he nodded, quickly heading down the hallway to the bathroom, still wearing his wet shoes. "Take your shoes off!" Rika told him, smiling yet surprised at his forgetfulness. Takato, embarrassed, quickly returned and took them off.

"Sorry…" he told Seiko quickly in his usual blunderful way, before heading back to the bathroom.

"Childish as ever…" Seiko noted. Rika smiled weakly, before sighing. Renamon alone noticed this. Rika sat on the couch, and Kristy fell forward on the couch end, smiling at her.

"So?" she asked, wearing her pink and white shirt and blue jeans.

"So what?" Rika replied.

"What are you guys going to do today of course?" Kristy asked.

"Up to him…" she replied.

"He's really romantic…" Kristy told her sister, eyes watering slightly and smiling dreamfully.

'_Yeah…but…why do I feel like we've not progressed at all in three years?'_ Rika thought, nodding unhintingly to Kristy's question.

'**What do you mean?'**

'_I guess…I'm really not sure…maybe it's just puberty…maybe more…'_

Harmony sounded like she had realised something, and Rika could swear that her eyes would've widened if she could see them. **'I see'** she replied simply. **'So what do you think you'll do today?'**

'_Let's see…he'll probably take us walking through the Cherry Blossoms, he'll give me a card, then he'll take us to some sappy restaurant for lunch and we'll kiss a bit, then probably not much else…'_ Rika mentally sighed.

'**Something's wrong, isn't it?'** Harmony asked concerned.

'_Don't worry…'_

'**Rika, if I have to, I can find out through your memories, thoughts and feelings, but I would rather find out from you.'**

'_Well…I am just finding myself more attracted to him…I mean, I was always attracted to him, but now it's much more…'_

'**I see…'**

"Ready Rika?" Takato asked, putting his hand out. His hair was now disturbed from where he had dried it, and his clothes had been dried off, no doubt with Chaos' help.

"Of course…" she replied, taking his hand and pulling herself up, smiling.

"I thought we could go for a walk amongst the cherry blossoms, then to a restaurant…"

"Great…" she replied cheerfully. _'And I guess it is…but…I told you something once Takato…and one day that is going to happen…mark my words…'_

**'You become more disturbing every day. I swear you've become like a stalker or a pervert or something.'**

_'Oh ha ha.'_

* * *

**25TH MARCH 2010****  
**

* * *

_**Nonaka Residence**_

_**20:21 JST**_

The night had long set in, and the last remaining person of the party they had had earlier that day. Kristy was currently running around the house, playing some kind of game of Tag with Guilmon, who promptly fell flat on his face in Rika's bedroom, where she and Takato sat against the wall, his arm round her back. Renamon smiled at Guilmon's antics, as Takato stood up, followed by Rika.

"We better get home now…" Takato told his partner.

"Okay…bye bye Rika, love you Renamon…"

"See you later Guil…"

"Huh?"

"As in Guilmon…"

"Oh yeah…"

Rika smiled at their back and forth, before turning to Takato. "Thanks for a great birthday Takato…" Rika thanked, grabbing Takato's waist and pulling him into a hug, followed by a kiss. Takato smiled, pulling out of the embrace.

"Glad you liked the line of DarkRenamon cards…" he replied. "Well, I've got to go now, see you tomorrow" he told her, turning to leave. She nodded.

"Bye honey…" she told him, and he left, Rika moved to her computer, and began to type.

**Dear Diary,**

**My birthday today, and it was okay I guess. I got a line of DarkRenamon cards from Takato, a new pair of jeans and a heart shirt from my mother, a hairband from my sister and a belt from my grandma.**

**Still…**

"More could've happened?" a voice came from behind, as Rika typed the words.

…**more could've happened.**

She suddenly realised she wasn't hearing things. She turned round, to meet the smiling face of Rey.

"You again?" she asked.

"Good to know you're happy to see me…"

"Who are you?"

"I can't tell you yet…someday I might be able to, haven't finished his list of times yet…"

"Why did you give Kristy that necklace?"

"Just a hint…anyway, I have something to give you…I'm afraid it isn't a birthday present, but…"

She placed eight objects on the desk. Each was gold, and Rika looked at them in surprise.

"But…these are like Kristy's necklace?!"

Rey nodded. "Take a closer look…"

Rika looked at the first. It was two triangles in a line, the top one inverted so the points touched, making a sort of 1 shape.

The second was a small circle connected to an off-centre triangle, in a 2 shape.

The third was made of three triangles pointing to the left, each connected in a 3 shape.

The fourth was a right angled triangle with a small circle in the bottom right corner, where the right angle was, in a 4 shape.

The fifth was a pair of opposite-pointing triangles, one left, one right, in a 5 shape.

The sixth consisted of a circle attached to a triangle above, in a 6 shape.

The seventh was a single long right-angled triangle, in a 7 shape.

The eighth was a pair of circles, in an 8 shape.

"What do they mean?"

"Think about it…" Rey told her. Rika looked at the eight shapes, considering the connotations of them. _'She must be talking to Harmony…'_ Rey thought, clutching her necklace. Rika noticed this.

"What's that?"

"Erm…nothing…"

"Is that another one?"

Rey sighed, and removed the necklace. She placed it next to the others. "This is mine…" she told Rika. Hers was a pair of triangles in the same way as on the 1 necklace but with a circle next to and attached to it, in a 10 shape.

"They are the Angels, aren't they?" Rika asked. "All nine of them…hold on…Ten…but Harmony said.

"At present in this timeline, there are only Nine Angels Rika…"

"Who are they?" Rika asked.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you but…you will figure it out…I know for a fact that you will. Don't expect it to be all so simple, the Angels won't even become wakeable until the First Angel awakes.

"I see…"

"Keep them safe Rika, you'll need to…" Rey told her.

"I see…so, that makes you the Tenth Angel?"

Rey nodded.

"So what makes you different then?"

"I really cannot tell you…one day I probably will, for you it may be years, for me it may be a week…"

"So when are you from?"

"The future, obviously, although I can't say when."

"Anything at all you can tell me?"

"Rika…the next few years…you just have to hold your own…be careful, but expect things to go out of your control at times. Don't worry, you'll find your way in the end."

"So what is your surname?" Rika asked.

"Not telling…"

"It's Matsuki, isn't it?" Rey flinched slightly in surprise. "I knew it…who are you?"

"I have to go…"

"Wait…if Kristy is the Ninth Angel, what is she meant to do?"

Rey sighed, and turned back to the necklaces on the desk.

"Right, and I think Harmony has already told you by now if he told me correctly…"

"Harmony is a girl…"

"I wasn't referring to Harmony when I said 'he'."

"Chaos? Takato?"

"No, you will never guess…anyway, here we go…" she began to point at each necklace in turn. "…The First Angel, Time. The Second, Control. The Third, Knowledge. The Fourth, Light. The Fifth, Courage. The Sixth, Spirit. The Seventh, Miracles. The Eighth, Love. The Ninth, Hope. And finally…" she stepped back to the middle of the room, a small red blob jumping onto her shoulder. She pointed to herself. "The Tenth, Destiny."

She pressed the button on the wrist-mounted device, and vanished into thin air. Rika looked on in surprise, and then frowned, looking back to the necklaces, before gathering them up. She opened a nearby drawer, and placed them all in.

"I guess I'll find out one day…"

* * *

**17TH APRIL 2010****  
**

* * *

_**Matsuki Residence**_

_**08:31 JST**_

Takato slept calmly. His dreams were, naturally, of Rika, although Chaos regularly intruded to annoy him, or alternatively, to make him think things he didn't want to think. However, the majority of the time the dreams were calm.

However, what shocked him was when Rika suddenly kissed him, and he woke up suddenly. The kiss stopped, and he looked his side to see Rika's face, leaning over him to the side, smiling.

"Morning Goggles…" she greeted, standing at the edge of his bed. He smiled.

"Morning Rika…" he greeted.

"Happy Birthday, now get the hell up!" she ordered. He quickly climbed out of bed and stood up, Guilmon soon following from his position at the end of Takato's bed. Rika and Renamon chuckled. "Nice pyjamas Gogglehead…" she noted at his pale blue striped pyjamas.

He chuckled nervously, embarrassed. Rika walked to one of his drawers, and, blushing slightly, threw him a pair of underpants, hitting him in the face rather accurately. She subsequently found blue shirt, grey trousers, socks and his blue hooded pullover from the wardrobe. She put them on the bed, and then stood and crossed her arms.

"Go on then…"

"Huh?"

"Get changed…"

"But Rika, I can't with you here."

"Oh, right…" she remembered, blushing slightly before leaving his room. She closed the door, and stood leaning against it. _'What the hell is wrong with me?'_ she thought, closing her eyes tightly.

* * *

Rika sat at the table which had been laid out for breakfast, along with Mei and Takehiro Matsuki, and her sister Kristy.

"I apologise for my sister, she insisted…" she apologised to Mei.

"Hey!"

"I don't mind…" Mei replied. They heard a door open, and heard Takato walk down the stairs, wearing his usual attire. "Happy Birthday…" Mei called.

"Hey everyone…" Takato greeted, before taking his seat at the head of the table, Rika to his left, and Mei to his right, with Takehiro next to Mei, Kristy (and Kudamon on shoulders) next to Rika, Guilmon at the other end of the table, and Renamon standing silently nearby. He began to eat his breakfast, incredibly quickly actually, a sight which left Kristy galled.

"Does he ever swallow?" Kristy asked her sister quietly. Rika dismissed her.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Rika asked when Takato had finished.

"I'm not sure…"

Rika sighed.

* * *

_**Special Observatory, Tokyo Tower**_

_**12:01 JST**_

Rika looked out at the views of Tokyo, arm round Takato. Unlike the Eiffel Tower that it was based on, the Tokyo Tower lacked any observation deck near the top, so they were in the so-called 'Special Observatory' with 360-degree views, 250m from the bottom of the tower.

"I've been up here countless times, and it still impresses me…" Sora told them, arm round Tai. Takato nodded. "Happy Birthday anyway…"

"Cheers…" he thanked her, and they moved to talk to other members of the Digidestined and Tamers groups.

Rika looked out over the endless views. Time was that this place had been completely razed to the ground, but now…it was as if it had never happened.

'_Well, I guess it didn't. Still…it's strange…'_

She looked to Takato, and they kissed for a while, before returning to the view.

'_I know that something is coming, something big, something that will change all of our lives…probably more than one thing actually. Regardless…I have Takato here by my side…we can do anything…'_

She looked to Takato again, and finished her thought.

'…_I wish…'_

THE END

* * *

A nice long mix of stories, concepts, ideas and mysteries in this chapter. Was fun to write as well, and leads into the next story very well. Review please.

Next time…

What is coming? Who is Rey? What will change their lives? Who are the Nine Angels? What makes Rey different as the Tenth? Who is 'he'?

Find out in Dimensions Book Four: Gods.


	4. Acts of War

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but I do own the OCs introduced in this story and later stories (except where stated).

And here we are, with my Christmas present to all my readers. A tantalising and dark glimpse of the future, during the oncoming war. Don't expect many answers, if any at all, and expect more questions that will confuse you more than you are confused at present.

You have been warned.

**Note: This story will require reading of all the books, up to the end of Gods at least, in order to understand it.**

* * *

_**EXTRA DIMENSIONS**_

**STORY FOUR**

_Acts of War  
_

By Blazing Chaos

* * *

**UNKNOWN DATE****  
**

* * *

_**Unknown Military Base**_

_**22:10 JST**_

The sound of gunfire resounded through the air, as screams inevitably followed. Mari winced, looking out from her hiding spot, inside a ventilation chute, at the guards standing over the dead bodies of those who had previous been civilian members of the resistance.

'_They were innocents…this is disgusting, how has _he_ managed to get people doing his every order like this?'_ she thought.

She crept forward, pulling a small machine gun from her leg. She frowned at the reality, _he_ was using fear to control them, fear of what might happen if they didn't follow _his_ orders to the letter. Many had died before, and many would die in future. She aimed at the four guards, war having trained her to be extremely accurate.

'_Sorry…'_ she thought, as she pulled the trigger. The guards turned to her, before collapsing to the ground. Fear ran through Mari's eyes as she saw their deaths, the horror of their situation refusing to be desensitised. She looked down the hallway, dark and metallic, and stood up, climbing out of the vent. She walked carefully along the hallway, checking every joining hallway and doorway as she went. She turned a corner, and held her gun out instinctively when she saw a figure, before breathing a sigh of relief.

"Rey…" she greeted, putting her gun to her side. Rey smiled weakly, Rejimon on her shoulder, and nodded.

Rey wore her red shirt, blue jeans and her hazel eyes shone with determination, her D-Vice with a dim screen for subtlety on her wrist. She looked up to Mari, in her early thirties, wearing almost completely black military wear made of high-tech materials for fulfilling its bullet-proof specification. Rey was far too young to have a suit like this, and Mari refused to let her wear one regardless. Her mother wouldn't want to see her in the field of battle in any eventuality, in particular not this battle, which was the same reason for why Mari only let Rey take a handgun, similar to the one she had used all those years ago when she first met Ryder, and threatened DarkRenamon with the weapon.

"Did you manage to complete your mission successfully?" she asked. Rey nodded sadly. "We have to find the main experiment room, the equipment _he_ is making his scientists work on could fuel the resistance to restoring peace once and for all…" she noted.

"Is Davis coming?" Rey asked.

"Yeah, if he managed to get out of Tokyo alive. Rey, now that I've found you, we're doing everything together, I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

Rey nodded. "What about David and…"

"They're fine. I love him, and I trust her with all my heart. He's got Dorumon by his side to protect him, and she will manage to succeed, I believe in her. We're meeting at Kyoto's resistance base in two days time; it'll be good to see her again."

Rey smiled bravely at Mari's spirit despite the situation. "I know who you really want to see again though…"

Mari's face turned emotional, and she frowned. "I wish…" she said quietly and sadly. "Now, we've got to get moving…" Mari said, as they walked along a corridor quietly, checking everywhere for any threats.

"Is Davis taking down the base's security?"

"Yeah, he has already taken down the main level of security, once he takes down the full level, we'll be able to get into the main lab."

"Any sign of any Artmon?"

"No, but we must be careful. Rejimon will need to be ready to fight, as will Veemon…"

They stopped outside a door, peering in. "This is the room…" Mari growled, seeing who was inside.

"I know you want to get back at him, I do too…but…we've got to stay hidden…" Rey told her. Mari nodded reluctantly, and they moved into a room behind them, quietly opening the door and peering across the corridor. The lights flickered in the room opposite, and a man walked to the door. Mari frowned, before ducking away from the window, at the sight of who it was. He was older than when the Tamers had first encountered him, but he was still clearly the same man.

'_Kazuya…'_ Mari thought, as the hated man looked up and down the corridor.

"What happened to the security?" he asked angrily. Noticing no-one to answer, he stormed away, angered further as the fire alarm began to ring.

Rey glanced to Mari, and smiled. "He did it…" she said, the success buoying their spirits. Checking the corridor once again, they crossed and entered the laboratory, left unlocked carelessly by the chief scientist of their self-proclaimed 'Lord and Master'. Mari looked around the lab, looking for anything of interest. The lab was large, and papers were scattered about, with a few computers in places.

"Certainly not clean with his lab, is he?" Mari noted.

"How are we going to find anything here?" Rey asked.

"Let's see…Project Ragnarok, Colossus, Artificial…so many projects…" Mari noted, packing the papers into a small bag she carried.

"The security systems are completely disabled, Davis did a good job…"

Mari chuckled at Rey's observance of the cameras and systems, and her skills at it.

"Your brother would kill you if he saw what you were doing…" Mari joked, a morbid joke somewhat.

"Well, we all know he would, he hates me fighting in this war…" Rey replied, frowning.

Mari frowned. War had hardened them, jokes that would be the height of inappropriateness, beyond what even Terriermon would say, were now grim jokes said regularly, used to maintain sanity and withstand the horrors they witnessed, in the same way that many Doctors would to block out the heavy emotions of seeing someone in pain, dying a terrible death with no way to stop it.

The door opened suddenly, Mari and Rey turning to see Kazuya standing in the doorway. "Do you really believe that I am stupid enough to leave my lab for a simple security alert?" he asked. "Pah…the resistance is more pathetic than I thought…"

Mari spat with disgust, her eyes full of hatred. Rey looked the same, staring at this man who had collaborated with their 'Lord and Master' to do such things that wrecked their lives, along with the lives of everyone on the planet at the same time. Kazuya walked into the lab, and clicked his fingers, as three small box-like Digimon arrived out of the corridor, following him. The Digimon were faceless, shaped like cubes with rounded corners, and machine-like, with a small turret mounted on their front.

"Artmon, kill them…" he ordered, pointing to the targets. The turrets glowed, as Mari prepared her gun, and Rey went to tap her D-Vice.

"FIRE KNUCKLE!" yelled a voice from behind, as blasts of fire struck the Artmon, shaking them off course.

"Run!" Davis yelled, as Kazuya gritted his teeth, Rey and Mari running past him. Davis wore military camouflage wear, his hair now far less wild than it once was, the fact he was now in his thirties in the middle of a war affecting his cares about style. A D-Vice glowed on his wrist, as they raced down the corridor, the three Artmon chasing, Kazuya in tow. Mari flicked a switch on her gun, and turned quickly, aiming at the Artmon and firing several EMP bullets. The Artmon were flickered by the shot, and they fell to the ground, disintegrating into data. The others stopped, and they faced Kazuya.

"Stop right there!" Flamedramon told the man who was still running towards them, before he hesitated and stood still. Flamedramon held out his fist, flames glowing in them. Mari switched the gun back to its usual firing mode, and held it up threateningly.

"Why do you all continue to fight?" Kazuya asked. "It is hopeless, give in already…the resistance will fail soon enough…"

"I'm not going to let that happen!" Davis said determined. Kazuya laughed menacingly.

"You speak as if you have a choice!" he replied. Flamedramon growled, and looked to the ceiling.

"FIRE ROCKET!" he roared, breaking through the roof, the cold outside air of the night pouring in. "Get moving!" he told them. Rey nodded, as a pair of wings flew out of her back. She flew up, through the gap in the roof, as Flamedramon grabbed Mari and Davis and leapt up and out. Kazuya looked up at their escape with a look of hatred, and clicked his fingers once again, further Artmon arriving.

"After them!" he ordered, as the wall exploded. Davis had been keen to destroy the base in the process, and his device was now taking affect. Kazuya raced along a corridor, and out into the cold air via a fire escape, as his sector of the base began to explode, a sight that was hauntingly familiar. He quickly ran for his car.

Mari raced across the roof, gracefully leaping down at its edge. She groaned in annoyance at the chain link fence.

"The Artmon are coming!" Rey said, panicking and facing behind as Mari began to cut the fence with a pair of wire-cutters. "Hurry up!" she added again, as blasts hit the roof nearby.

"FLAME KNUCKLE!" Flamedramon shouted, fires taking down Artmon as they flew out of his fist.

Mari groaned as she dropped the wire-cutters, before picking them up and resuming her task.

"Guys, over here!" Davis yelled, and they looked up to see him standing by a jeep. Mari and Rey raced over, leaping into the vehicle as Davis took the wheel.

"FIRE ROCKET!" Flamedramon roared, burning through several Artmon on his trip to the jeep, which he landed on with a flip.

"Drive!" he told his partner, as Davis hit the pedal. The jeep raced into life, the alarms sounding in the base, as guards got into their vehicles and raced towards them. Davis swerved from left to right and back again, and aimed at the fence, sticking the vehicle into its fastest gear. Mari and Rey braced themselves for the shock, as Veemon dropped through the smashed back window, broken from an Artmon blast, blasts which continued to strike the rear of the vehicle.

The jeep tore through the fence and ran out into the open plane, hills running up and down around them, as lights followed, gaining on them.

"We've got to go faster!" Mari told Davis.

"It won't go any faster!" he replied. Rey frowned, and nodded to Rejimon, before climbing onto the roof via the hole in the window, and once again making her wings appear. Mari looked up in fear.

"Rey, no!" she yelled.

Mari held her hands out, and faced the base, her hands glowing reds and blues as energy swirled around them. "FINAL DESTINY!" she yelled, a huge wave of energy sweeping away from her hands. The cars and military vehicles chasing them exploded into dust, as did the base, bringing the deaths of hundreds of innocents drawn into this war in the process. Rey felt her energy seeping, and collapsed, as the vehicle slowed. She felt herself placed onto the floor, and opened her eyes to see Mari looking over her.

"Rey, are you okay?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"Yeah…" Rey replied, moving her head and her ruffled red hair. "I'm fine…" she replied. Mari smiled sadly.

* * *

_**Kobe**_

_**05:01 JST**_

"We'll have to walk the rest of the way…" came Mari's voice, gradually waking Davis and Rey from their long slumber. Davis and Mari had taken shifts in driving to Kobe, where they would go to the local resistance base. They had been lucky to avoid any Artmon spotting their vehicle, but they had gone mainly off-road the whole way. They decided not to risk it by driving in the city itself, and Mari had parked the vehicle on the outskirts. Davis and Veemon groggily climbed out of the vehicle, following Rey and Mari. Mari left the keys on the roof; it could be another soul's only chance to escape the next time it was used. She frowned, looking down the street. The dawn was sweeping over the land, and that meant that the members of the self-proclaimed Resistance would have to be careful, not least their Leader, Mari Stevens, proclaimed as their 'Lord and Master's' second most-wanted, inevitably after Rey Matsuki herself.

Mari knew the way to the base; she had been informed of the locations of every base in every city where there was one in the world, a lot of information to take in, but her experience of taking in such complicated military-style information as a young teenager until she met Ryder gave her the ability to memorise it. Most others, excepting the Angels themselves, were not given the information unless they were in the city themselves, where they would be escorted to the hidden base by a marshal. Some bases had sadly been lost, the base in Osaka a notable casualty of this, as an Artmon attack killed everyone inside, having been discovered through spies. Thankfully, once finding the base, most spies felt protected enough not to need to contact their master any more, but some were defiant enough, or scared enough, to still report back. Thankfully, the Osaka attack had been at a time when the Tamers and Angels were absent from the base, and they had had enough warning to escape some people, although still a far cry from the overall death toll.

Mari walked through the quiet morning streets, every third building showing signs of damage from the war. Most were empty now, their owners fleeing long ago, in a desperate attempt to escape slavery or death. Mari gritted her teeth, this was unbearable to see. Once, long ago, Ryder would have comforted her and made everything right again.

Those days were long gone. So was he.

Mari fought the wave of emotions, and walked along an alleyway, Davis, Veemon, Rey and Rejimon following soon after.

"So how did you make it out of Tokyo, not to mention getting in in the first place, alive?" Mari asked Davis.

Davis frowned, his usual optimism gone. "With extreme difficulty…they're struggling in there…they really are…"

"The Towers still stand?" Mari asked. Davis frowned and nodded.

"Inevitably, yes…_he's_ not giving in any time soon…"

"_He_ has the whole world in chains…when I get my hands on _him_; I'm going to kill_him_…" Rey decided, balling her hand into a fist.

They soon came to the remains of a train station, the entrance appearing abandoned. Checking the road for any sign of threats, they crossed the road and entered. The stairs had crumbled; the building seemed empty as they walked through it, every sound echoing. They reached a sign for toilets, and entered, seeing men and women's room signs to either side. In front of them, hidden behind a perception filter, was a room that looked innocuously like a cleaning cupboard, which they entered. Steps lead downwards, and they passed several marshals, as they entered a complex of doors and hallways, dug into the ground. The base was lit by various types of lighting, based on what could be salvaged. They based several families and those alone as well, all saddened but smiling bravely to see the three passing them, giving them hope. Mari smiled bravely to encourage that, as they reached the central chamber.

"Rey!" greeted a voice, and Rey smiled to see Kristy Nonaka, the Ninth Angel of Hope, approaching her after standing up from her seat. Of the 'adults', she was the youngest in the room, being in her mid-late twenties. "I'm glad to see you're safe…" she told the younger girl, pulling her into a hug.

"Thanks…" Rey replied, looking around the chamber. Izzy Koushiro, wearing a black suit and white shirt, worked at a computer, checking the remains of the internet, along with the mostly complete Digital Watch net, for what data they could find, Tentomon looking over his shoulder. Digital Watch had created a subnet in the past few years in order to facilitate better passing of messages without the sight of government officials, and it proved useful once the war began for coordinating the resistance. Very few used their real names regardless, if there were ever to be a leak, anonymity was the key. Regardless, practically all members knew the usernames of the ten Angels, the Tamers and all others of significance.

"Did Kazuya survive?" Davis asked Izzy. Izzy nodded.

"According to our Lord and Master, he escaped unscathed…" Izzy replied glumly.

"Can people stop calling him our 'Lord and Master'?!" Davis complained. Izzy sighed, continuing to use the computer.

Nearby, Joe Kido, wearing a white doctor's coat, was treating someone's injured knee, Gomamon watching. Henry Wong and Terriermon sat on chairs, Jeri Wong sitting on the floor with Elecmon on her head. All had matured, but some things never changed.

"So did you fail miserably then?" Terriermon asked cheerfully.

Mari chuckled, if there was one constant in the world after the loss of Calumon's cheerfulness when the war began, Terriermon's humour was it. "Of course not…" Davis replied.

Mari held out the papers from her bag to Henry, who looked at them with intrigue. "I managed to acquire these during the raid on the base, I hope they are of use…" she told him. Henry nodded, looking at the papers. "There are details of Project Ragnarok amongst them, I thought that we may be able to use them somehow…" she said, a glint of enthusiasm in her eyes.

"Don't get your hopes up…" Terriermon replied glumly.

"Terriermon!" Jeri complained. "There's every chance that Henry will find something, I believe we will find a way to win one day…"

"So do I but, you must have seen the world out there…half the world is starving. Practically everywhere on Earth is under _his_ reign, and Artmon fly everywhere, keeping the slaves in line. The resistance is fighting back I know, but what can we do?" Terriermon asked.

"We can win!" Mari declared. "I swore on Ryder's fate that we would save the world from this, and I'm not going to give up this fight until I breathe my last breath."

The speech gave some confidence to those standing around in the central control centre, as some nodded. Kristy walked over to her.

"She's right…"

"But, we're talking about bringing an empire down here, it won't be easy…" Gomamon noted.

"Who said anything about bringing down an empire?" Kristy replied. "We just have to free _them_, and then everything can be sorted out so we can get things back to normal."

Kristy looked around at the glum situation, and the base, the whitewashed walls being depressing enough, not to mention the regular deaths of those who dared to leave the base, or had to leave it to keep the base alive.

"I hope…" she added.

THE END

* * *

And so, I completely screw with your heads, as a Christmas present. So many surprises and thoughts in this chapter, and all I can tell you to do is to keep reading. Please review, I'd like to see your response to this (and may do another similar story in future between later books).

Regardless, we still have a lot to see until this plot comes into the main, and it is going to be a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions.

Next time…

How will Rika react to the news? How will she tell her parents and, most importantly of all, Takato?

Find out in Dimensions Book Five: Demons.


	5. Survivor

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but I do own the OCs introduced in this story and my other stories (except where stated).

Here's a little teaser for upcoming events. I'll say no more, so read on!

Thanks to Crazyeight for beta-reading.

* * *

**EXTRA DIMENSIONS**

**STORY FIVE**

_Survivor_

By Blazing Chaos

* * *

**8****TH**** AUGUST**

* * *

Darkness.

Only darkness. A grim, inky blackness in the house, pervading and preventing all vision and enshrouding her in its endless mystery.

And yet, she could still see.

Because of course, she was no ordinary human. She knew that all too well. As her eyes glowed a slight blue, she saw the inky blackness replaced by a bluish version of the world. Ornamental and ornate, the house was like many throughout the country of Japan. Or at least, the former country of Japan.

That was how desperate things had got. Despite all the promises that the old world would be restored, that the future was bright and that this seemingly endless war would be brought to a close, the promises could never be kept.

She sighed, walking over and kneeling next to a long, wooden table, one she remembered from happier times. When they were together, as a family, and when life was so much simpler.

But that was over. They were now few in number; their allies were gone, surrendering to the inevitable. Her escape from death had been remarkable, particularly considering the tragic world around her, but she knew that it was only a momentary respite. There wasn't much difference between death and sitting in darkness, in terror of what could arrive.

She felt so lonely, sitting there, in her old home, parts of it now barely recognisable from where they had been attacked. She knew of a few bodies nearby that she would keep well away from, both out of respect for the dead and just being sick of seeing such things. How anyone could actually fight in this war was a wonder. She herself had only been an observer mainly.

And she preferred to keep that way. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to have the choice.

She turned, facing a new figure that had just appeared in the room. She saw the large and familiar bipedal form, a bluish hue to its white stomach thanks to the pseudo-night vision; whilst the figure's usually yellow arms had turned a dull grey.

"Renamon," she greeted, the digimon nodding in response, and frowning at the nature of their reunion, although for once their parting was very temporary. Her digimon partner's facial expressions were something which the female could easily tell, despite it being amazingly subtle. "How is it out there?"

"Still dangerous," Renamon answered.

"Are we safe though?" she asked, concern in her voice. In such testing times, confidence was paramount.

The digimon didn't give a straight answer, instead looking off to the sliding door, to the black night visible through a gap beyond. "This house just looks like any other house to them, and there are no lights on. I think we're fine."

"I hate this waiting though…Renamon, I hate to admit it, but I'm scared. Petrified."

Renamon pulled her into an embrace, the female frowning and returning it.

"I know you are, but I assure you. I won't let you get hurt, you know that for sure. I promise."

"No, don't promise that! You can't promise that!" she argued, stepping away from her partner and glaring angrily. "Everyone who promises that ends up dead!"

"I am sorry…" Renamon began, before being promptly interrupted.

"**Why are you criticising her? She's only trying to keep you safe, aren't you Renamon?" **Harmony butted in, Renamon nodding in response.

"I know, I know, but I'm just really worried, sorry," she replied in an apologetic tone, before yawning, stretching her arms out in the blackness. "I'm tired too, but I'm scared of going to sleep. I don't want to die at all, let alone in my sleep."

"**Then you sleep, and I'll stay awake,"** Harmony offered.

"Really? We can do that?" she asked, surprised that Harmony hadn't offered to do so before. It would help a lot.

"**Yes, we can,"** Harmony confirmed.

"How?"

She felt her hands move unconsciously to her temples, feeling the world slip away quietly but not seeing it. The darkness continued. Endless darkness…

"**She is asleep now," **Harmony confirmed. **"I'm sorry I can't do the same for you Renamon," **she noted, looking up to her faithful partner.

"I know, but I have to protect her anyway."

"**She may not say it, but she's scared for you too. Just, she's a little too transfixed on her own situation right now to tell you."**

"I know, and I understand. I wish I could protect her though, but they could come at any time, and we do not get much warning. And, because of me, we can't get help either. If we go in the shelters, they'll realise the truth. I don't want to be her liability."

"**She loves you, you're hardly her liability. You've protected her more times than even I have, and I know you will continue to do so. And I'm thankful for that, because I have been with you so many times, and I will be again, even if you don't remember it, or at least most of it."**

"I wish I could. You always talk about such amazing adventures, and of such unbelievable things. Even if you were permanently fighting with Chaos, and even if I was caught in the crossfire many times, I know that I would give anything to just see those days."

"**I wish you could see them too. Nonetheless, life must go on, and I've dwelled enough on the past in my extremely long life to go back there, even if I could. I just hope the future is better."**

"Maybe you and Chaos should finally put aside your differences and make up?"

Harmony looked nauseous at the concept, Renamon seeing her change colour slightly, almost to a greenish hue. **"Never."**

"But isn't that why you two keep fighting?"

"**I'm sorry, but he's done way too many things that I can never forgive him for. Even with how close we have been all those days ago, I still despise him more than anything else in the whole world."**

"Old grudges die hard."

"**Renamon, I think you underestimate just how old this grudge is."**

* * *

**9TH ****AUGUST**

* * *

The morning drew in, twinkling across the two bodies in the room, female and partner lying on the floor and staring at the ceiling. One had been awake for hours with little to show for it, the other had finally taken the opportunity to sleep after a lot of persuasion by Harmony, who was by now relieved that her alter-ego was awake.

"**Finally, I'm so tired…you'd think I wouldn't be able to, being a God and all, but there we are I suppose."**

She frowned, sighing as she looked aside . "The morning of another bleak day. I presume you're going to sleep?"

"…"

"Harmony?"

"…"

"I think that answers your question," Renamon noted, a slim smile coming to her face at the amusing nature of it all, despite the grim world outside.

"Yeah," she answered, pushing herself to her feet as Renamon swiftly did likewise. "I'm surprised Renamon, you never go to sleep. It worries me really, what if you're too tired to fight?"

"That's why I did go to sleep in the end," Renamon answered. "For you."

"You can be so strangely unselfish at times that it's disturbing."

Renamon smiled, nodding, as the female wandered over to the door, pushing it gently aside and stepping out into the fresh morning air in the garden, slowly tainted by smoke rising nearby.

"Another attack," she noted sadly, sighing before glancing to the sky, clusters of dots passing high above. "There are less of them every day, but they get so much more powerful. I wonder how many died last night."

Renamon frowned. "I heard a few explosions during the night, and screams too, but Harmony decided against waking you."

"I'm sort of glad she didn't, I'd never get to sleep after hearing something like that."

She sighed, walking onto the soft, crisp grass in bare feet, the light glistening beautifully off of her D-Vice, a soft blue tinge to it, along with the blue ring around its large screen. She glanced into it, noting how blue her hair looked in the surface, before looking back to the sky again.

"Last night, I dreamt of a world where the death toll fell. It all seemed so wonderful at first, but then I realised why," she noted, her voice foreboding her words.

She glanced to her partner, who tilted her head, trying to read what her Tamer was implying.

"Oh, I see," Renamon answered soon after, a frown appearing on her face. "I'm sure that will not happen…this war has to end some day, doesn't it?"

"Not if they keep on endlessly pursuing this goal. I mean, when I heard the news a few days ago…all those people…just, dead. In an instant. It's horrifying, and the worst thing about it all is that it could happen to any of us. The ultimate weapon has been perfected, and yet we still fight on hopelessly. We could all be dead tomorrow, and no-one would remember us. Just more dead from the war, to be added to the list."

"I know," Renamon answered. "I wish you could go into the shelters, but with me with you, we just couldn't. I really don't want to be a liability to you…"

"No, you're really not Renamon! I never want to leave you, I've been forced to do that before and I hate it. You'd protect me with your life, and I have to be honest and say I'd do the same for you too."

"No, it is my job to…"

"Renamon, you can't persuade me otherwise. We're partners, and we protect each other. Always. And, well, we're no ordinary partners…" she began, feeling her shoulder blades flex and move into position.

Renamon watched the all-too familiar sight of a pair of blue, Angel-like wings materialising from her Tamer's back. It was still a surprising sight, even after all this time. They seemed almost unnatural, but Renamon knew that they were as much a part of her as her hands or her face. Just, they could be concealed a bit more easily.

"…since I have the rare ability to protect you too," she replied, softly smiling, before reaching down and clutching Renamon's hand, feeling the warm paws surprisingly open as she slotted her fingers through those of her partner's. "We protect each other."

Renamon simply nodded.

* * *

Contrasting with the rest of the facilities, this particular room was rather quiet, simply consisting of a man working at a desk and scribbling various things down as he seemed to ponder them over. Naturally, he was surprised when his door swung open without knocking.

"How is the project progressing?" asked the new entry sharply, the man sitting up and saluting.

"The new target has been calculated and is prepared. I presume the systems are now functional again?"

"Of course; they are in place, as are those that will use them. This project cannot fail, I assure you that."

"I do have one question sir though…" the man at the desk began, attracting the other's attention.

"Oh?" he pondered, his eyes burning through to the mathematician and making him feel under the spotlight.

"Well, I was just pondering about the target. Usually, we have plenty of targets in order to allow for random occurrences, but you are just aiming at two places. Why exactly?"

"Because, I know of a target that is in either one of those two places. Nonetheless, you will not question orders, you understand that?" the man asked imposingly. The other man paused periodically, the cocking of a weapon causing his eyes to widen and him to nod and reply quickly.

"I understand," the man replied.

"Good."

THE END.

* * *

This'll all mean something at some point, but for now, please review. I'd like to hear what you all thought of it.

And yes, Extra Dimensions isn't dead. It's useful when I need it, but I'm not writing stories for it just for the sake of it. And yes, I noticed this chapter is shorter than most, but it just worked out that way.

I'm just going to note quickly that I've got a wiki for all of this, accessible via my profile on the homepage link.

Until next time…


	6. The Dying Days

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but I do own the OCs introduced in this story and my other stories (except where stated).

Once again, I bring a nice teasing tale that'll set up some future events in other Books. It's a nice break away from the main flow of events and a way to cure my current writer's block, so enjoy!

**You'll need to have read Stratagems beforehand; otherwise you'll miss many of the important clues and probably be left completely bewildered by what's going on. **

Thanks to Crazyeight for beta-reading.

* * *

_**EXTRA DIMENSIONS**_

**STORY SIX**

_The Dying Days_

By Blazing Chaos

* * *

**2007**

* * *

_**DIGITAL WORLD**_

_**Kabuki Village**_

_**02:29 UTC**_

"Priestess, what is wrong?"

The fire cackled, lighting the room beautiful shades of orange and red, the yellow clashing with the shadows of the darkness that threatened to overcome it. The white noise, previously the only thing to break the serenity of the chamber, was broken by a desperate breathing, air struggling to make its way down into the aged form. Fragrance and fire wafted through the room, the figure pausing and breathing in deeply. She would not have much more opportunity to embrace these smells, these sights, these sounds.

Her hand gripped tightly around her wand, she held herself up by pressing her human-like hand against the wall. She stared into the grain of the wood, admiring its slick lines and intricate detailing; the work of a thousand generations, at least. This ancient society lived without dates, without durations, without definite knowledge of the past beyond that which was handed down from Renamon to Renamon, Priestess to Priestess, Warrior to Warrior.

But she knew one thing, as she felt her throat close, her eyesight fizzling periodically, and her balance failing: this was her date. Her mouth became a thin line as a feeling of calm rushed over her.

"I am dying."

In any other situation, those words would've been cause for alarm, for panic, for medical attention, but as the Renardmon by the door stared on, frown materialising on his face, he merely nodded in response.

"I see."

Sakuyamon Kabuki Mode turned to face her aide, a hand steadying her form against the ornate wall. She frowned in response, nodding to the creature who responded in kind.

"Go quickly."

The Renardmon nodded, turning promptly and darting out of the room, his tough feet pounding against thick floorboards, so long in place they were older than some trees in the village. The sound echoed as Sakuyamon listened, savouring it as if it were the sweetest delicacy.

"So this is the end," she noted to herself, staring down at her arms, as youthful as the day she first digivolved all those years ago.

She had always known of her fate, the fate of every Priestess. Whilst the lives of her fellow kind were indefinite and prone to dramatic variations, hers was fixed. From the day she became her current form, the clock of age had begun. It was the curse of her title, of her role, but a necessary one. The fixed nature of her age would allow her to make preparations in these last twenty-four desperate hours for her successor, a new Priestess who would reign for another two hundred and twenty nine years.

The Priestess frowned, knowing that things would be different this time. The world around them had changed, and something had been taken away from them, stolen if you will, and it could make it impossible for the old ways to continue. The village itself would die, it would break open to attack, and all those years of history would fade.

The shaman fell to her knees, feeling pain wrack through her as she did so. She hands went together as she forced out the pain, and began to pray. "To the Goddess Harmony, I pray that I will not be the last of my kind."

She knew the Goddess was in a transitional phase. But she was her last hope right now, her last hope for protecting her village from its inevitable fate.

For the first time in her life, as she stared at her hands pressed together, hope felt so empty.

"Priestess," said a voice deeply from the doorway, the sound echoing about the largest of the chambers and infiltrating the ears of the Priestess. She looked up from her prayer, her hands falling apart before she stood to her feet, her red dress folding across her unknown skin and her mop serving as a crutch.

A brief silence transpired between the Taomon and the Priestess, but the gaze between them lasted an eternity. This was a being at her end, accepting her fate which had once seemed so far away, so unreal, to have made her life seem eternal. She had seen generations of Renamon, Renardmon, and their darker cousins, grow up and flourish throughout the village. She had seen trees grow old, rivers erode their banks and winds caress the landscape into a beautiful shape. She would now pass this gift, this curse, onto another.

"Whom will you choose?"

* * *

_**17:29 UTC**_

A dark rain cloud passed overhead, an oddity for this (almost) weather-less quadrant of the Digital World. It shrouded the orb from the sky, the data streams pausing in its wake, and Digimon eyeing it with bewilderment. Few outside the Kabuki Village knew its purpose: it was protection. Every two hundred and twenty nine years, when the Priestess was in her final day, this cloud would appear, and gradually enshroud the village within its misty depths. It would maintain the barriers of the village against the forces of outside by making it seem nonexistent, and would allow a smooth transition from one Priestess to her descendant.

Where the cloud came from was a matter for debate. Was it from the Priestess herself, unconsciously cast? Was it from the first of their line, a long cast spell that continued to have an effect? Or was it from the Goddess Harmony, providing endless protection to her own race?

Protection was one way to describe it, a storm was another.

"Renamon, Renamon, are you both done yet?" said a masculine voice, before it shivered from the cold.

"Fighting may be easy for you but I prefer to spar," one of the Renamon replied, her voice deep and seemingly filled with wisdom. She turned back to her friendly opponent, another Renamon, crossing her arms across her chest as diamonds began to glint in front of them.

"Heh, it's even easier for you Renamon, you seem to have a stupidly good natural talent," the other Renamon replied, her voice more relaxed and higher pitched. She chuckled, preparing herself for the shot.

The other Renamon paused in her attack, raising an eyebrow as if insulted. "Talent? Hmph, this is skill."

"As much as watching you two taunt each other endlessly is fun, it is so bloody freezing," Renardmon complained. The wind was by now whipping through this corner of the village, a larger green area away from the housing, and clouds seemed to drift past at lower and lower levels. The rain had begun spitting, tiny drops splashing into his brow every so often.

"Go inside then," the higher-voiced Renamon said, smiling to the male with a slight ruffle in a tuft of hair on his head. He huffed, and she rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you guys are so uptight," she added, laughing before turning back to her opponent. A little bit of rain and wind, if odd for the Digital World, was hardly a reason to suspend anything. "Can we finally get on with this?"

"I've been ready for a while," the other, "wiser" Renamon said, a slim hint of amusement in her tone. "Are you?"

"Of course, I'm ready for anything," the higher-pitched Renamon insisted, only later realising the irony of her words. Her opponent nodded, the pair lightly leaping backwards in preparation for each other's attacks. The lower toned Renamon flipped backwards into the air, preparing the all-too familiar move.

"DIAMOND STORM!" she cried, whipping her arms outwards and launching a volley of icy jewels at her less mature opponent.

Unlike most of Renamon's past and future opponents, this opponent did nothing but smile, before flipping backwards cheekily only seconds before the attack hit her. "Ha, missed!" she laughed, pulling down an eyelid mockingly.

"Not for long," the attacker said, savouring the battle and enjoying the spar. She raced forward, leaping into the air and launching a foot at the other.

Her opponent dodged back, but unfortunately far enough. The attacking Renamon's eyes widened as her foot slammed into her friend's head, knocking it aside and throwing her to the ground.

"Bloody hell!" Renardmon spluttered, promptly leaping over across the grass to the pair of Renamon, landing with a thump alongside them. He turned with concern in his eyes about his close friends.

By now, the more mature of his two female friends was bent over the other, who had been mostly silent in her pain apart from moaning about the hand placed on her sore head.

"Sorry," the Renamon who had been attacking said, guilt laden in her eyes.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Renardmon mumbled, frowning. The unhurt of the two girls rolled her eyes in annoyance; this was not the time for "told you so". She looked into her friend's eyes, hoping that her attack wouldn't have done any damage. That was certainly not the point of sparring.

"Ugh…"

"Renamon, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Ugh…four…"

"I have only three fingers."

The less mature Renamon chuckled, smiling in amusement despite her throbbing headache. "I know, just wanted to annoy you."

"Oh ha ha."

"Can we _please_ go inside now? It is freezing and we've already had one injury for today," Renardmon pleaded, miming shivering and glancing around.

The two Renamon followed his glance around the area, the cloud cover now well-descended and cloaking the area in a thin mist, thickened in places. It was an awing sight, the unnatural nature of it sending a shiver down the more mature one's spine. It was practically unheard of for such a fog to descend so quickly, and it could only mean ill. This was far more than just wind, rain and a light mist; this was so much more substantial. She cursed herself for not being suspicious any sooner.

"We have to get out of here. Something terrible is happening," the deeper-voiced Renamon said forebodingly, her eyes glinting a shade of blue for a microsecond. She held out her hands to her injured friend.

"What do you mean?" the other Renamon asked, looking over to her friend with a worried eye as she was lifted by the legs. She subsequently gripped on tight around her friend's chest, lightening her grasp when her friend seemed ready to gasp in pain. The more mature Renamon frowned, looking about at the gathering fog as her mind reminisced. She turned about to face Renardmon, who was looking towards the pair with a concerned eye.

"This storm, I've heard of it before," she said, glancing up to her shoulder where her friend's head peered over with an apprehensive look. "Some of the elders mentioned it from time to time, and it protects this village."

"Protects it from what?" Renardmon asked, looking about at the digital fog once again and pondering how, short of making it difficult to see the village, it could possibly protect things.

"I have no idea, but I know it's not an ordinary fog."

"Let's get moving then!" the other Renamon on her shoulders exclaimed, an air of panic about her voice and expression. Even Digimon were afraid of the unknown, of the foggy, of the dark.

"You know, you would have a lot more authority in saying that if you _weren't _riding piggyback," Renardmon quipped as the pair began a steady pace across the grassland, the silhouettes of traditional homes in the distance fading in and out of view.

"Doesn't make it any less a valid point so neeeh!"

"You sound so much like a child," the more mature Renamon said from underneath, rolling her eyes with a smile subtly on her face.

"Heh, you look like a mother and child," Renardmon pointed out, receiving irritated looks from his female companions.

"Only because I didn't exactly see you volunteering," the deeper toned Renamon huffed.

"Yeah, with those muscular arms, you could at least have tried to help."

"Meh, you'd have just called me a pervert."

"Point taken."

* * *

Unbeknownst to the "children", they were being watched from above by four eyes, gazing down on them intently and curiously. They observed every attack, every block, and every joke. An air of silence around them descended, broken only by the laboured breathing of the most human of the pair.

"Hmm…" Taomon mumbled, looking up to her elder with curiosity, their current task being carried out in a bewildering way. Out of all the Renamon who they could possibly be observing right now, why had they found a group casually training away from the village? Those training within rules, within battles, within their dōjō, were surely better candidates for the role they were pondering. But evidently, the Priestess knew better, and Taomon knew to doubt neither her wisdom and insight, nor her knowledge of affairs she could only imagine. The Priestess, of all those in their community, was the most in-touch with the world around her, with the spiritual affairs of the Gods and with their plans, perhaps even more so than they themselves. Whilst the Taomon knew in her position she would be able to call her elder out on anything, she had never needed to take that option before, and she doubted she ever would.

"I think I have made my choice."

Taomon nodded, knowing what the Sakuyamon had decided. Of the two children there who could possibly become the next Priestess, there was one clear candidate. One who had shown skill in battle, who had been able to render a huge amount of damage from an accidental kick, and who had gone to her friend's aid immediately, was clearly a formidable candidate for the next leader of their tribe.

"Those who learn the way of maturity faster are always those who will know how to use great power."

"Hmm…it appears there has been a mix-up here."

For the first time in her many years of service, the Taomon was surprised. "Excuse me?" she asked, not sure she was hearing things correctly. She realised the irony, as she decided to call the mega-level's bluff. "Surely you cannot mean the other female?"

"Yes, I do mean her. She will do well as a Priestess, I assure you that."

Taomon hesitated, looking over the face of the Sakuyamon. A deadly serious gaze was imposed over her features, and became evident she was not joking (not that she would be expected to descend to such rudimentary humour).

"You seem to doubt me, Taomon."

Taomon frowned, looking back to the trio as they disappeared into the mist, their shadows paling away. "Evidently you know more than me."

"I do. Despite the obvious nature of the more mature female's ability, she is unavailable."

"I do not understand. Do you mean she is emotionally unready?"

"No. She is…destined for something. I have felt this before, many a time before. The last time I sensed such a thing…it must have been over six decades ago."

Taomon paused briefly, a look of surprise crossing her features before she carefully inspected the face of the Priestess. "I understand."

The Priestess stared at her hands, contemplating their age. So many years, such a long reign, were now coming to a close. "It is strange. I had never contemplated this…conclusion. The end is coming for me, and within the day I shall return to data. I had hoped I would be able to witness the rebirth of Harmony one last time, to see her for myself, but it appears I shall not."

"Do you have any regrets?" Taomon asked, the question a sincere one, not between colleagues or between servant and master, but between friends, life-long friends.

"Hmm…" Sakuyamon pondered, only a brief glimpse of surprise on her face radiating from the unexpected question. "I would have liked to have travelled, to have seen more of the World of Ideas, and perhaps the World of Matter, but…it is a mere minor regret in my two hundred and fifty years of existence. I have lived a good life, but I fear those that follow me may not be so lucky."

"I share your fears, Sakuyamon," Taomon agreed, a deep look to her eyes as she stared out through the smoke, knowing the crisis erupting beyond the perception filter. Even their own village was affected by it: Digimon were becoming unable to digivolve, short of intervention from others like the Sovereigns, in particular, he of their own Quadrant, Zhuqiaomon. But, not even the Sovereigns, let alone the Sakuyamon and Kuzuhamon of their village, had the power to digivolve Digimon on that scale. The light of the Digital World had vanished, and progress had slowed. Only Yggdrasil managed to change the nature of the Digital World's population, but his creations tended to be low levelled, and were quickly absorbed by power-hungry champions and ultimates, searching for a way to digivolve again.

It was a hopeless pursuit.

"When I die, this village will soon break down," the Priestess said, frowning. "All these years, I have kept up this barrier to support those who live here, but with me gone, it will decompose like the flowers in the gardens will afterwards. Without the power of digivolution, we will not even have the ability to defend ourselves from intruders."

"Perhaps it is time to attempt to contact Harmony then?"

"She may be a God, but she is also a human, and right now I know she does not even know of our existence. Many moons will rise and set before she learns the truth."

"Pray, tell, what is a moon?"

"I have seen it, in my many visions. Of this world, of the human world, even of other worlds. Worlds of dreams, worlds of nightmares, worlds of darkness and worlds of light…but this Digital World has none, merely the Earth in the sky. It…it is an object of great significance within our species but under which few have lived."

"Perhaps that is our solution then? Another world? Surely there is still light in the other kingdoms?"

"Moving all our people there risks all their deaths, and we could disrupt the balance of those worlds as well. Whilst the Eastern Quadrant has settled into a balance, it is known that those times of balance are only periods in between chaos. Even if we were to attempt such a move, the Sovereigns would object, and I would lose my viewpoint of the fledgling Harmony."

"Perhaps the humans can help? They have provided the ability to digivolve in other quadrants, perhaps here as well?"

"The humans do not know of our presence, indeed, we have become a simple game of cards. We would bring about peace for ourselves by causing havoc for millions, and those tolls are too high for me to agree with them. Once again, the Sovereign Zhuqiaomon would present considerable opposition to that suggestion as well: he has already been especially critical of a lone Impmon who managed to transcend the worlds and apparently acquire a human partner."

"Time is pressing Sakuyamon, and your last remaining hours are precious. I pray that you will think of something, and I am assured in your abilities to do so."

"Thank you. I will need to speak with my chosen descendant, and we will need to inform the rest of our village of my current state. I have only one idea of how to bring our community back from the brink of destruction, and I pray that Harmony will forgive me for it."

"What is it?"

Sakuyamon wore a deep frown as she turned to face the wizard-like Digimon, a sigh evident in her voice as she spoke. "I cannot tell you yet, I am afraid. I may never be able to tell you within my life, but please remember only one thing when you see it," she said, her voice deeply saddened as she contemplated what she had planned. "I did this to save us all."

* * *

_**17:52 UTC**_

"What on earth is going on?" Renardmon asked, no-one replying, as he looked about the busied village. Unlike normal busy periods, however, things were clearly not calm. An air of uncertainty, of worry, of fear, had befallen the streets between buildings, a steady gathering of yellow and black towards the temple. The fog was kept at bay by the buildings around, but even despite that it had begun to creep in, a faint mist filling the air and fuelling the panic.

"Something major must be happening. My suspicions were correct," the more mature of the two Renamon said, clutching the legs of her friend tightly under her elbows behind her back.

"Can you see anything more from up there?" Renardmon quipped, looking with a grin up to the other Renamon who was fortunate to be gifted with such a skyward viewpoint.

"Oh ha ha, very funny."

"Please can we stay focused on the situation at hand here?" said the first Renamon, evidently not amused remotely by their joke. "Are you still in any pain?"

"Um…I'm feeling a bit better now."

"Good, because this is so painful," the first Renamon responded, coming to a stop and letting the other land, perhaps slightly ungracefully, on the floor behind.

"Ugh," the second complained, rubbing her head from where she now sat. She looked up to her companions through dizzy eyes, the sea of yellow merging and confusing her further.

"Great, you've given her concussion now," she heard Renardmon say.

"Grace is evidently not one of your talents," the other Renamon added, ignoring her male companion and lending a hand to her floor-bound friend.

"Thanks," the second Renamon groaned as she was tightly pulled to her feet. "You're a good friend."

"Yeah, but you weren't saying that when…" Renardmon began.

"Excuse me, children," interjected a new, deeper voice from one side. The trio turned, as did various Renamon and derivatives around them, to face the Priestess making her way into the crowd nearby. A look of surprise darted from face to face as they recognised this wasn't just any normal Sakuyamon either, her long hair and red gown standing out amongst the crowd.

"Uh…yes?" replied the still-dizzy Renamon, a look of surprise on her face clashing with her current wish to lie down and go to sleep. Perhaps this was all just a dream? Their elders were usually far too busy to talk to them anyway, which was less to do with elitism than it was to do with the pressure of their duties.

"I would like you to come with me."

"Who?" Renardmon spluttered, surprised they had been chosen from amongst the crowd, particularly considering they had only just arrived and had a half-dizzy, half-injured and less mature member amongst them.

"You," the Priestess said, gesturing towards the highest pitched of the trio, who was still trying to wake up from this odd fantasy. She gasped in surprise, gesturing to herself as her mouth gaped open.

"Who, me?!" she asked, her voice higher in pitch than ever.

The Priestess breathed roughly, nodding weakly in response. "Yes, and there is not much time. I have chosen you, please follow me."

"Um…are you okay?" Renamon asked, looking over her elder who seemed to be in a bad state.

"Please, I need you to follow," Sakuyamon replied, nodding to reassure the female and reaching out a hand.

"Um…okay…are you guys okay without me?" the Renamon asked, turning back to her close friends questioningly.

Renardmon nodded in response, smiling to reassure the girl. What was she afraid of? The Priestess of their village was hardly going to harm her in any way.

On the other hand, the other Renamon had paused, not hearing their words. Her eyes had become locked into a deep gaze with those of the Sakuyamon. A look of insight and curiosity contrasted with one of bewilderment and confusion, as the others stared on, not sure what was happening.

"She will return to you, I can reassure you of that," the Sakuyamon said, breaking the gaze and looking at both of the trio as she was brought back to awareness by her chosen Renamon standing in front of her, anxiously awaiting a revelation of exactly what she had been chosen for. Sakuyamon looked down into the other's eyes, reaching out a human arm and turning her round before pulling her close to her dress. She crossed both arms across her chosen descendant, as if not wishing to let go. "I promise."

Renamon looked worrying at the arms as they crossed her vision. This was very unusual, and hopefully her fears were not justified. She contemplated the figure that was holding her tightly against itself, a being that she, like all the others of the village, had held a deep respect for. She had outlived almost all of them, and was known to show kindness and wisdom towards all beings and all situations. What was she afraid of?

"Well, bye," Renamon said, anxiously savouring a possible last look at her friends before the world vanished in a blur.

"What?" Renardmon spluttered in surprise as his friend and the Sakuyamon vanished into nothing with not much more than a flurry of a red dress.

An amused smile crossed the face of the remaining of his two female friends. "You act as if this is the first time you have seen our side of the species' trademark."

"Yeah, I know what it was," Renardmon insisted, hoping to scrape back some shred of dignity after his display of surprise at a common phenomenon in their village. "I was just surprised that she used it."

"I am sure that is the case," Renamon replied mockingly. Renardmon opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a louder voice across the crowd, standing on the steps of the temple.

"Renamon," the voice called, looking out upon the crowd as dozens of heads turned. Taomon frowned, never expecting to have to make this announcement in her life. This was the dawning of a new reign, but it was also one tinged with crisis and chaos. "I bring grave news to you all."

Renamon and Renardmon frowned, as a deep hush befell the crowd. Something was definitely wrong.

As if to agree with their words and thoughts, the day chose that moment to once again transition to night.

* * *

"Ugh…" Renamon groaned, staggering forward slightly as she was freed from the arms of her "captor". She placed a paw on her once-again sore head, turning to face the Sakuyamon.

"I apologise for the uneven transit. I am weakening every second now," the Priestess replied, before being forced to her knees by her condition.

"What's wrong?" Renamon asked, panic in her voice about the state of her elder. She rushed forward with readied paws, wanting to help at all costs.

Sakuyamon raised an objecting hand, shaking her head with a frown on her face as the Kitsune stopped in her tracks. "I am sorry, you cannot help me. I am dying."

"No…you can't die! You run this whole village, what would we do without you?"

"My life span is limited, this is not my choice. But…but I will not leave this village without an elder. I shall continue my sacred role of passing on my priesthood."

"Who to?"

Sakuyamon Kabuki Mode frowned, looking at the female in front of her who would (hopefully) soon resemble her own form in practically every day. _"She will have to say goodbye to the body of a Renamon. This is a one way path."_

Renamon hesitated, realising that the eyes staring deeply into hers, before gazing her form, were giving her the answer she was seeking. "Wait, me?!" she spluttered, pointing to herself.

The Priestess nodded - a look of intense shock and bewilderment on the female's face once again her response. "I have chosen you because you are right for this task."

"What? No, wait, I'm not…I'm not even remotely right for this. I can't do your job, and I can think of about a dozen others who would be better than me, not least my friend Renamon."

"She has other duties to attend to in life."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"I cannot tell you, but you will figure it out for yourself when you acquire a form like mine. You must not tell her, you must let her find out on her own, understand?"

"But…I still don't understand, why me?"

"You are caring, and have the potential to be strong, but most of all, you are immature."

"Huh?"

"This role requires you to look upon the world with new eyes; you must abandon all your old thoughts and ways. You will have to make great choices, and you will have to become used to those choices. Whilst your friends are more mature than you, they are already set in their ways. From my brief observation of you, I could tell that your friend Renamon is caring for those she is close to, but shuns those outside her very tight circle, even Renardmon in many cases. You have bound your group together, but you are a child compared to them, something which allows you to develop into an adult in your new role."

"But what if I don't want to do this?"

"I am afraid you have no choice, if you want your friends to survive."

"No, please, don't kill them! Please!"

"I was not going to kill them, but my death would bring about the end of this village otherwise. I do not have many hours left, and I must impart much wisdom to you in those precious moments."

"I see…" Renamon sighed, her expression dampening greatly as she contemplated the sudden change in her life, one which paled in comparison to the upcoming change she would undergo.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but this must happen."

"Yeah, but…I was enjoying being like this. Being carefree, doing nothing but training in the dojo and playing with my friends…why do I have to lose that?"

"You will not lose it, Renamon. When I was young, I stayed close friends with all of those I had befriended before my transformation, despite my role being elevated far above them. You must stay in touch with the village and with yourself, or you will become little more than a dreamer."

"I see…but, how do you know I'm ready?"

"You are not, but you will be."

"I hope you're right."

"I know I am right."

"So what do you want me to do then? Do I do a dance or something? Is there some kind of disturbing ritual?"

"No, I have chosen you. That would be enough for your ascension. But…you are going to have to deal with something far more difficult than any of your predecessors have ever had to face."

"What?"

"I am sure you have heard of the difficulties with digivolution encountered lately. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated problem: the whole of this Quadrant of the Digital World has lost its light of digivolution, and I'm afraid that will make your natural ascension to my form impossible."

"So…what can I do?"

"There is only one way I can foresee out of this situation, and I am afraid it will involve a difficult journey for you. When you return, you will have matured and have become a Sakuyamon Kabuki Mode. You will not be the only one to embark on this quest, your fellow high-achievers from the dojo will make the same journey, but only you will ascend to such a high level. You will be alone on your quest, and you will be forced to make some difficult choices."

"What do I have to do?"

"You will all journey into a different world, an ancient world where few of our kind have ever been, indeed, where few of our kind have ever needed to go. This world may confuse you, but you must ignore the threats to your mind and body in order to find yourself."

* * *

_**18:09 UTC**_

A concerned rumbling of voices had quickly begun once the chief Taomon had finished delivering her message. She frowned, looking upon all the concerned souls about her. They had only one chance at salvation, and that was the female who was currently in the Priestess' chamber. She glanced to one side, looking to her opposite in gender who stood watching the situation with a thin flat line of a mouth.

"Taijimon," she beckoned, stepping back as the new figure stepped forth, one slightly taller than her but different in many other ways. It was evident, from first glance, that, whilst Taomon specialised in the magical and spiritual arts, Taijimon concentrated more on the physical and martial arts. No paintbrush graced his hands, those instead being wide fists designed to cause damage in combat. A black belt ran around his waist above his short-like wear, his aged form still muscular and evidently powerful. His eyes and face were akin to that of Taomon, except more masculine and with a sterner eye.

A muscular foot landed on the board of the top step, the face unsympathetically gazing out upon the crowd. This Taijimon, the ultimate form of Renardmon, knew that tasks had to be completed without worry or panic.

"Renamon," he bellowed outwards, a deep, throaty voice gathering attention of all around him. None would dare to interrupt him, the leader of the dojo which had trained so many expert fighters in its time. "I have come to proclaim those who will become a new wave of Sakuyamon and Kuzuhamon warriors…"

* * *

_**18:12 UTC**_

"Do you understand?"

Renamon nodded, new insight in her mind as to what her task would be from now on. She frowned as her predecessor coughed again, holding her hand out and refusing help.

"I'm sorry, my condition is worsening."

"Can't I, like, help you get back to a Renamon again or something? Anything?"

"You cannot I'm afraid, and I would not let you either. I have lived a full life, and perhaps death will bring some peace for me. I would not want to fight it and bring myself more pain."

"But…I really don't want to leave you here to die."

"Please understand, you have to let me die."

"No, I mean I'm not leaving you on your own to die."

"What?"

Fire lit up in the Renamon's eyes, her paw clutching into a determined fist. "I'm not letting you die alone. I want to keep you company."

"I am impressed by your act of charity, but what about your friends?"

"I'll have loads of chances to see them again, but I will only have one chance to do this. Please, let me stay."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

* * *

_**18:13 UTC**_

Renardmon stared up at the improvised stage, a mix of pride and shock in his eyes at the familiar female now standing on it alongside others in her colour and in black. Renamon looked surprised by her appointment, as she glanced about the crowd for a hint of familiarity in the situation. This was all so sudden.

The candlelight flickered behind them, lighting the warriors in fiery tones of red and orange, the yellow on their fur heightened. Taijimon looked over them with the closest look he would get to pride.

"You are our most promising warriors, and you shall embark on the same trip as our new Priestess. You will go to another world, one where you will be forced to find yourself, and you will be forced to make a choice. I am sure that you will all choose correctly, or else you have not listened to my teachings or the wisdom of the Taomon. To the others who have not achieved this accolade, I simply insist that you train harder and become better."

Renamon nodded as her eyes met with Renardmon's in the crowd. The parting with her friends was so sudden - first from Renamon and now from Renardmon. She had hardly had a chance to say goodbye, although it had become evident there would still be opportunity for that.

She knew she would be back. She would ensure it. She had a mission to undertake now, one that she knew she could complete successfully. Nothing would stop her in her task, and she would be as triumphant as her fellow warriors who stood beside her.

Renardmon knew she would be back. Sure, the males of the village were doomed to life mostly within its barriers, but that did not stop those destined for greatness from talking to them. His friends, however they ended up, would not forget him. This was only the beginning of maturity, and he was sure one day he himself would become a great ultimate-level, a Taijimon himself.

"Say goodbye to those you are leaving behind. You will be gathered when the time comes," Taijimon said, looking across his students with a determined gaze.

* * *

_**19:45 UTC**_

"Seriously, you two are moving up in the world," Renardmon said, smiling as he wandered back over to the centre of his home. Renamon leant against the wall, a concerned look on her face as she stared blankly across.

"Hmm…"

"The thing is, this morning, we were just a bunch of children, and now…I mean, she's going to be the Priestess, you're going to be a Sakuyamon. You are both destined for so much."

"Yes, I suppose that is one way of seeing it all."

"So why are you so pessimistic?"

"I am just worried about her that is all. Of all of us, she is not the most mature, and I fear she will make a mistake."

"And to think, you criticise me for not believing in her."

"Yes, but this is a great endeavour, for both of us."

"You two will do fine, trust me. And stop complaining about a good thing," Renardmon complained, optimism in his expression and in his voice regardless. "You two can at least get to the mega level, I don't think male Renamon have ever done so."

"That is because females are so much better," Renamon mocked.

"See, now you're cheering up. Come on; let's celebrate…uh…somehow. I don't know, let's try…eating. Yeah, that's one way to celebrate."

"Okay, if you keep insisting, but I'd rather go look for her."

"She'll return to us, and even if she doesn't, you're going to see her before you leave on your trip to the "other world" anyway."

"Hmm…hopefully."

"You are never convinced."

"And you never shut up. I'm worried about our friend."

"So am I Renamon, so am I."

* * *

**FOLLOWING DAY**

* * *

_**02:20 UTC**_

Firelights danced in the shadows of the chamber as silence once again descended within its walls. It was a sleepless calm; however, as neither of the room's occupants had the fortune of unconsciousness.

Renamon lay awake, her eyes concentrating on the flickering blackness of the high ceiling from where she lay on her back, head nearly touching the wall. Her ears twitched every so often, hearing the desperate breathing of the Priestess across the chamber. She would close her eyes tightly, trying to block out the horrific noise but failing completely in doing so.

It couldn't be long now, however. The Priestess' laboured breaths had become weaker and more desperate, and the conversation had slowed. Renamon glanced up, looking across the room to where the figure in red sat, back propped up against the wall.

"Renamon," she mumbled, her voice hoarse and aged.

Renamon promptly got to her feet, striding across the chamber in the hope she could be of some aid in these dying moments. "Yes?" she asked anxiously, worrying this would be their final conversation.

"Thank you for being here with me now."

"It's no problem."

"Please, can you pass me my staff?"

"Huh?"

"I need…" she began, before stopping and choking harshly. A look of alarm crossed the youth's face, but she knew it was a helpless task. The Priestess had resigned herself to her death, and the Kitsune had no idea of how to help even if she was wanted to. "I need my staff," the shaman finally finished, reaching out with a hand towards the staff which had been left parallel with her across the chamber.

Renamon nodded, flipping across and grasping the implement before turning, making a bee-line for the Priestess. She gently passed it into the elder's hand, a smile escaping those dying lips.

"Thank you," she said, the staff beginning to glow a faint blue hint.

"What's going on?" Renamon asked, suddenly apprehensive about why the staff was so desperately required.

"I am going…cough…I am going to give you a way to carry out what must be done. Please do not stop me from casting my final spell."

"Well, okay…please don't hurt yourself."

"It doesn't matter now child, the pain will soon be over."

Renamon sighed, frowning as her eyes closed. The situation felt so desperate: she wanted to yell for help, but what could help do? This being had lived a life far beyond that of a normal Renamon, and was now paying the price.

"Please…bring me Taomon; she wouldn't want to miss my passing."

"I will…please, please just wait until I get back."

Sakuyamon smiled at the concept, pleased by the girl's optimistic youthful pleas. "I will."

* * *

_**02:23 UTC**_

"Ugh…what time is it?" Renardmon groaned, waking up from his slumber with dry lips and an aching head. Having a fight before bedtime to decide whether males or females were better was clearly not the best of ideas.

He pushed himself groggily to his feet, looking around and pondering where Renamon had gotten to. Had she gone back to her home, deciding that he was an arrogant idiot who claimed of his power in battle but never proved it?

The soft sound of breathing proved otherwise, as he looked across to where she slept on her front, head collapsed onto one of her arms and slight injuries across her skin from their brief-yet-painful battle.

"_For someone who claims she's powerful in battle, she sure as hell fell asleep fast."_

He bent over her, pondering whether to wake her up or leave her to sleep. And then, eventually curse him for not waking her up and sending her home.

"_We're a funny old group," _he mused, pondering where the other of his two female friends had gotten to. _"She's probably talking for hours, the silly thing."_

"Ugh…" Renamon groaned, a look of panic crossing the male's eyes that she was waking up. This would be worse: this wasn't even leaving her be, or waking her up intentionally, this was accidental awaking.

To his relief, she simply rolled over away from him, barely missing the wall before her gloved arm fell out to one side. He wiped a non-existent sweat bead from his brow, before his eyes were caught by the gloves.

"_Small wonder why the male half of the species isn't as well known about," _he pondered, looking at the ornate design before glancing to his own string-wrapped arms. Sure, his would probably provide more protection and skeletal stabilisation in battle, but they were not remotely as impressive to behold.

He reached out a hand, curiosity overtaking him as he gently nudged back the hand-end of the glove. The edge folded upwards, revealing the similar coloured underside.

"_Right, it's a normal glove and all, so why can't I be fitted with something like this? I mean, I wouldn't want purple, but red would be cool. Or something like that," _he mused, absentmindedly pulling the glove up more and revealing more of the purple underside.

He suddenly felt a roar of pain rush through his finger as a blue spark of energy leapt the gap. He leapt backwards in surprise, wondering what on earth was going on as the glove fell back into place. The sparks had begun, however, to leap across the surface of the glove, some sinking into the Taijitu pattern on its surface. Others leapt up Renamon's arm and across her form, darting across like wild fire.

"_What on earth is that?!" _he wondered, his eyes looking carefully at the blue sparks that continued to dance across her body. Was it some kind of electricity? He had seen Renamon with gloves off before, however, and never had he seen such an effect. Something very strange was going on here.

"Ugh…" she mumbled, her eyes flickering and the sparks rapidly returning to the gloves, or, alternately, the spirals on her knees. His eyes stayed widened as she opened hers, his gaze remaining on her chest where some of the sparks had simply died out into nothing.

"Uh…" he stuttered, finally noticing her vexed expression as she awoke completely from her slumber. He grinned uneasily, realising how it must have appeared to her.

**TWACK!**

He subsequently began to nurse his injured nose, an angered Renamon promptly getting to her feet and glaring down at him. "You deserved it," she spat, glaring at him intently. "What the hell did you think you were playing at?"

"I wasn't looking at you; I was looking at your gloves," he explained, getting to his feet and holding out his hands pleadingly.

She was about to argue back, but the wall lit up in a blaze of white light. Both pairs of eyes turned, looking across the room to where the door-panes shone brightly.

"What the…" he stuttered.

* * *

_**02:27 UTC**_

"Taomon, what kind of spell is she casting?" Renamon asked, pleading with the wizard-like Digimon to give her some answers. Her elder frowned, sighing.

"I do not know," she said, looking down to where the staff currently glowed a bright blue, its threads out in all directions apart from each other.

"I am allowing you to carry out what must be done," Sakuyamon replied, surprising the pair that she still had the power to speak. "But my time is nearly up, and my final seconds are at hand."

"No, there has to be another way," Renamon decided, hoping there was still some way for this being she had only become friends with the evening before to survive.

"There isn't, but you can pass on my legacy. You will be great, I am sure of that Renamon, and you just have to believe that you will be."

"I hope I will, I don't want to let you down."

Sakuyamon nodded, smiling. "I know you won't," she said, her voice in these dying moments still confident and unafraid. She turned, facing Taomon. "Taomon, I will miss you dearly, as I know you will too. Please, ensure she does not become misguided. You will be responsible for her in the same way you have been for me."

"Godspeed, old friend."

"The minute approaches," Sakuyamon said, nodding in agreement, before looking across to her staff, glowing brightly. "But everything is ready."

"So, what do I do?" Renamon panicked, apprehensive about her continuing lack of knowledge about her upcoming tasks.

"You will know what to do, I assure you."

"I hope I do."

"By the Goddess Harmony, my last seconds are here," Sakuyamon began, sitting up and staring into the fire as she crossed her staff in front of her. "Give me the last strength to save my world!"

The staff burst into blue light, the light running up and down before spreading through the shaman's hand, her feet simultaneously breaking into data. Her form glowed a tinge of blue as it broke up, Renamon and Taomon staring over in a mix of awe and horror.

"Goodbye," Sakuyamon said before her form entirely became data, staff included. The data swarmed in the air, Renamon looking about in surprise as the specks gently floated.

"She's…gone…" she mumbled, looking for some sign of what she had to do next. Was she meant to absorb it? She looked to Taomon for guidance but received the same bewildered look as she herself wore.

The data promptly collapsed on itself, rushing into a point in front of the younger female's hands. Her eyes stared down, despite the searing pain they were experiencing from the sheer brightness of the light.

The specks slowly collected, resembling a ball of white light, before they linked together, turning into something even more unexpected.

"A digi-core?!" Taomon gasped, by now suspecting that this was not the usual way that a Priestess would die.

Renamon didn't speak as the object sat in mid-air, her eyes endlessly locked into its blue tinted surface. The candle-light wasn't enough to light it in this way: the object was a light source in itself. Her hands unconsciously moved to the sides of the orb, grasping it. Even to the touch it felt full of energy, of life, of power, and yet, it had come from death.

Her mind suddenly flashed with so many things as she realised what had to be done. Her eyes became full of new knowledge, new ways, new wisdom, and one plan.

"Come!" she declared, the orb suddenly bursting into white light. The light shot upwards like an arrow, going through the ceiling and vanishing.

"What…was that?" Taomon spluttered, wondering what on earth her old friend had cast in her final moments.

Before Renamon could answer, the translucent panelling blazed with an intense white light.

Renamon smiled upon seeing it. Everything was working exactly to plan, and the others would be here soon.

* * *

_**02:32 UTC**_

"Someone has got to turn their flashlight down," Renardmon complained, covering his eyes with his arm as he and Renamon dazedly made their way to the source. This was unprecedented, even the fog couldn't shade this intense light.

"I think this is the Priestess," Renamon said, trying to discern what they were looking at and heading towards. It seemed to be the temple, a blazing light in the darkness of the Digital World.

"What, is this what happens when she dies?"

"I don't know, but this must be related to that somehow."

"Maybe…" Renardmon replied, before his mind once again leapt back to the thing which had been bugging him for the last five minutes. "Renamon…you know earlier…"

"Shut up about that, unless you wish to incriminate yourself more."

"But I wasn't…I wasn't looking at…"

"If you know what is good for you, you will be quiet."

Renardmon sighed, deciding that the subject could die for now. He'd figure out what those sparks were eventually: maybe it was just some kind of defence. Then again, it seemed pretty unique. What made this Renamon so special?

"Looks like everyone's turned out," Renardmon noted, changing the subject and looking about at the sheer number of Renamon and their other forms that had turned up to find out what was going on. Was this it? Were the warriors embarking on their quest?

"Renardmon, look," Renamon gasped, gesturing towards the steps of the temple as they paused in their tracks.

There, standing on the top step, grasping a brightly glowing orb in both hands, was Renamon, their nervous, immature friend who right now looked like neither of those things.

* * *

Were it not for the surge of confidence running through her, no doubt thanks to the orb in her hands, she would have gulped in shock at this point. Everyone from the village was here, from the highest Sakuyamon warriors to the lowest Reremon, eyes barely open to witness the sheer majesty of this event.

"Renamon," she spoke, feeling as if the words were simply coming to her lips without her saying them. "It is time."

Her eyes cast downwards, looking over the orb which flashed as if to agree with her words, as the overwhelming light of the signal beacon finally died down to darkness and silence. This was it. This was the plan that the old Priestess had planned for, and she hoped dearly it would work. If it didn't, they were doomed. Without a true Priestess, the protection of the village would collapse. Without a league of Sakuyamon and Kuzuhamon warriors, they didn't have a chance to sustain the rate of digivolution required to make the systems of this community work. This whole village was depending on her, yet somehow the pressure felt surmountable.

"Open," she spoke, the orb responding to her words by bursting into a white light, before it itself became nothing.

Renamon, her hands now free again, turned as a series of white doorways appeared behind her, shining in the darkness that permeated the area; one doorway for every candidate, a gateway to their own experience in the ancient world that few Renamon had been to.

Even the new Priestess herself had to stare on in amazement at the sight. Behind these portals, was another world; a world where they could find their way to their Sakuyamon forms and unlock the power to digivolve again. Hopefully.

* * *

Renamon turned to Renardmon, a nod passed to him. "Goodbye," she said, before she began to push through the crowd.

Renardmon nodded in response as he watched her leave, his mind sticking on the bitterness of her voice. He hadn't done anything more than tried to lift her gloves, but now she seemed to distrust him. _"Hopefully I'll get a chance to explain when she returns."_

His eyes turned again, looking up to the steps where a series of Renamon and DarkRenamon, including the new Priestess and his other friend Renamon, were stood, each in front of doorways of their own.

"_I wonder what's on the other side. An ancient world…whatever it is, it must be impressive."_

* * *

The Priestess glanced to Renamon, a nod passing between them as they contemplated the mission they were about to accept. There was no way back to the village without the aid of their mega forms, so this would be a one-way trip for those who failed.

"Good luck," the more mature Renamon said, nodding to her friend who she was unlikely to see again for a while.

"Yeah, good luck," the Priestess replied, before turning her eyes forwards to face the portal. A white, bright, shining doorway in the night, a two-dimensional shape in a three dimensional world.

She began to hear warping noises from nearby, her fellow warriors stepping through themselves. She glanced to one side, seeing them vanish into nothing, even her old friend, before the portals closed in on themselves.

Her eyes turned back to her own portal, her mind mesmerised by its brightness and its unusual nature. She took one last glance back at her own world, before stepping forwards.

Pain rushed through her limbs as she felt herself begin to fall, her eyes widening in horror as her mind began to think something had gone wrong. This couldn't be right. The pain gripped her, burning her as she tumbled faster and faster, crashing through unseen objects.

"No…" she mumbled, before falling foul of consciousness.

* * *

They were gone.

Renardmon looked over the temple, staring at where his friends had once stood. He heard the beings around him chatting and yawning as they began to scatter, his mind locked on the spot still.

It was going to be lonely from now on, at least for a while. He had no idea of how long they would be, or how much they would've changed when they returned, but he knew that they had to do this. To save them all, they needed the power to digivolve, the light of digivolution being absent.

But…even if they did return as their mega forms, would it be enough? Could a relatively small group really had enough energy to digivolve others enough to sustain the ways of the village, or would the village become stuck with rookies and champions? This society relied on digivolution to progress, protect and permeate itself, but without it, it would die.

His mind finally freed from its trance, he glanced about, seeing only one remaining figure in the gloomy darkness. She stood on the steps, staring at where the portals had been with clutched fists.

"Huh?"

Renardmon made his way over to the figure, a DarkRenamon, his mind constantly wondering why she had stayed behind. The female seemed to be irritated by something, perhaps even saddened, her eyes looking fit to cry.

"You okay?" he asked, looking across to her curiously.

"This society is wrong," she mumbled.

"Huh?"

"I trained every day, every night, in order to become strong enough so I might be chosen to be one of the great warriors. And look how I get kicked in the face."

"But, they chose the best, didn't they?"

"Exactly! Why didn't they choose me? I was ready to become a warrior, I was ready to fight to protect our way of life, but now…now I feel so empty."

"But you can still fight, can't you? It's not only the Sakuyamon and Kuzuhamon who get to fight."

"I don't want to be a Youkomon or a Doumon; I want to be a proper fighter. I have trained for so long, trained so well…this place doesn't even care."

Renardmon frowned, his eyes cast over the female's despair. She turned bitterly, beginning to wander away. "Wait!" he called, sure he still had the chance to help this girl realise it wasn't all hopeless. But it was too late; she had already vanished into nothing.

Renardmon sighed, his eyes turning downwards to face the wooden floorboards. Everything had changed so quickly, so much so that he wasn't sure they were children anymore.

Everyone else was changing, and yet he was stuck the same way.

* * *

_**03:28 UTC**_

DarkRenamon wandered, her mind bitter and her fists clenched. She bit down into her lip, angered by how she had been deceived. It didn't matter how much you trained, how well you did, it only mattered that you were noticed by Taijimon when training. She had simply faded into the crowd, and now she was paying the price.

Part of her wanted to give in, part of her wanted to escape, but none of her wanted to stay.

"You," said a voice, breaking her mental despair. She stopped, her mind irritated by this new interrupting before she even saw what it was.

"Yes?" she asked, her tone vexed.

"I have been sent by Yggdrasil to inquire into events at this village," the voice replied, DarkRenamon looking up to see something she didn't expect. Gold armour slid over a blue dragon-like body, blasters on his back and sharp claws for fingers. Her eyes widened as she contemplated who this could be.

"Are…are you one of the Royal Knights?"

"I am Magnamon of the Royal Knights, yes. Please tell me what has transpired here."

"They forgot me that's what happened," she bitterly spat.

"Excuse me?"

"The village's Priestess died and they sent a new series of warriors to another world to become Sakuyamon and Kuzuhamon, but they didn't send me."

"Did you expect to be sent?"

"After training so hard, yes, I did."

"I see," Magnamon replied, pausing as his mind contemplated something. "I may be able to help you."

"What?"

"My master, Yggdrasil, is interested in recruiting determined warriors as his servants."

"Who is Yggdrasil?"

"He is a great God who is a force for good, and I am sure you would agree with that mission. If you were to join him, I expect that he would reward you with digivolution once he had earnt your trust."

"Really? He would do that?"

"Of course. So, do you agree?"

DarkRenamon looked back over her shoulder, taking one last glance at the village which had so badly scorned her. She glared at it, before looking back towards Magnamon with determination blazing in her eyes.

"Yes."

* * *

_**Unknown Location**_

_**Unknown Time**_

Pain. Pain was all she felt, pain racking up and down her limbs, burning her whole form.

"_I must have failed," _she thought, knowing that this pain wasn't a natural part of the plan. She had failed herself, she had failed her friends, and she had failed the whole village.

Her eyes blinked open, looking up into the bright, beaming sky above. Clouds floated across, birds fluttered across, and strange objects flew across. What was this place she had, if probably accidentally, ended up in?

Knowing that her safety could be compromised, she pushed herself to her feet, noting how she had landed in some form of waste receptacle, blue metal walls surrounding her. She quickly vacated it, shaking herself off.

"_Yuck."_

She found herself in an alleyway, buildings running up either side and humans and metal boxes going past the end every so often. Was this place...where she thought it was?

Someone stopped, glancing into the alleyway curiously and a look of shock crossing his features as he saw a huge yellow bipedal fox. She promptly leapt upwards out of sight, leaving the man to decide his current employment was too stressful.

Landing on the roof, she crept to the edge and peered downwards. The roof looked old, indeed, the area looked rather old, and yet the metal boxes looked rather new. An awning crept out of the building below her which she crept onto, hiding herself via a perception filter as she put her ear to the awning and tried to hear what the voices were saying below.

"Um…je voudrais un jus d'orange, _Le Monde_ et deux pains s'il vous plaît," came a female voice from within the building.

"_Hmm…seems like a shop of some form," _she pondered, listening intently to the conversation, understanding every word.

"Trois euros et vingt…merci," replied another voice, pausing as a sprinkling of metal was heard. Footsteps began to wander through the awning, the Priestess moving her head to see what whoever it was looked like.

She watched carefully as a girl wandered out, blonde hair fluttering in the wind as she held her newspaper, orange juice and bread sticks in a bag.

"_Hmm…"_

THE END

* * *

A very bewildering end to the story there. It'll all make sense eventually, but for now you'll have to continue your bewilderment until Book Seven and Stratagems. I'll be back to writing Book Six after this, but this has done wonders for getting rid of my writer's block.

Until next time…

B.C.


	7. Christmases

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon, but I do own the original characters introduced in this story and my other stories (except where stated).**

Thanks to Crazyeight for beta-reading.

**A/N: **As a little (and very late) Christmas present, I decided to give you a tale of two Christmases, of misery and of happiness, of love and loss, and of course, of blondes and brunettes. Enjoy!

**BEFORE READING THIS, ENSURE YOU HAVE READ BOOKS 1-6 (EXCLUDING THE EPILOGUE OF BOOK SIX), AND ALL OF THE OTHER EXTRA DIMENSIONS STORIES, OR YOU WILL ENCOUNTER SOME MAJOR SPOILERS.**

**

* * *

DIMENSIONS**

_**STORY SEVEN**_

_Christmases_

By Blazing Chaos

* * *

**SATURDAY, 25****TH**** DECEMBER 2010**

* * *

A thousand cards bear the image of snow fallen upon Britain on Christmas Day, a mix of real and drawn images being the staple of the less humorous end of greetings cards sold up and down the country, from Clintons to Birthdays, from remote tourist gift shops in the Lake District to newsagents in the bustling heart of London. All are similar: a slate wall, a lovely cottage, hills or a vale, tinsel and trees seen through panelled windows, and a lovely dusting of snow upon the land, broken only by the treading of footsteps and the warm fires in homes.

All are also lies. England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, even the Republic, never get snow on Christmas Day, at least, not away from the distant Highland villages and the high hills of Snowdonia in Wales. For the Mancunian terraces, the cottages of the West Country (perhaps the ones most matching the picturesque image) and the comfortable houses in the Home Counties, for Brighton Pier, the Houses of Parliament and the Angel of the North, there is only likely to be one kind of precipitation on the twenty-fifth, and it is usually rather wetter than would be hoped.

But, this Christmas, thankfully, stayed dry, if freezing and dominated by mood-dampening overcast skies. Of course, even the total cloud cover could do little to ruin the days of a million ecstatic children up and down the two islands (and many smaller ones dotted around them). Waking up early to open stockings and promptly being told to go back to bed by some tired parents (some of whom had yet to complete the `Christmas Ritual'), sitting around the tree in pyjamas and sometimes needing to be restrained whilst a parent fetched the camera, and, of course, beaming widely at their presents once opened, it was truly a magical day for them.

Age, however, has a nasty habit of stealing the oblivious happiness. All children realise eventually, be it by an opened closet, an over-eager look down the hallway when hearing footsteps, a number of older children `spilling the beans', the onset of logic and maturity, or, in some unfortunate cases, the sound of a parent falling down the stairs. But, until then, Christmas is a day held in such high regard by them (and dreaded by parents). Even those who are older, however, cannot fail to see the sense of magic on a day which always seems to be different to every other.

For some though, and one girl in particular, this day held a bitter edge to it.

A purple blind was whipped up into its holder quickly; the operator greatly eager to see whether this Christmas would be white, wet, or simply grey. A slight frown appeared on her lips as she realised that the latter was to be the truth this year. She shrugged; it wasn't a big loss, although at least a white Christmas could take her mind off something that was.

She turned, glancing in her mirror at herself. An irritated noise escaped her lips as she began to straighten out her bed hair, her iconic blonde lengths ruffled up into a highly irritating shape. She stared in the mirror for a short while, inspecting her complexion whilst listening to the silence of the house about her. Her parents were evidently still asleep, and after probably having spent the first dozen or so Christmases of her life bothering them by waking up early the girl couldn't help but feel they were entitled to the privilege. Besides, it gave her a chance to break from tradition and take a shower. Sure, it would mean the pale pink pyjama top and bottoms gracing her form would need to be replaced by day clothes which would certainly make a difference compared to years gone by when it came to opening presents. But, nonetheless, such was what happened with age.

Her eyes drifted into the mirror, taking in how the reasonably large room appeared backwards. A computer in one corner on a small desk looked rather masculine and out of place in a largely feminine room; a few CDs in a rack below the PC and the computer tower itself on the other side below; a wardrobe closed up in another corner; a largish purple-sheeted bed in the middle; a slim television on one wall, and a few other assorted items of furniture scattered around along with a few discarded clothes, ones unlikely to be tidied for a few days given how busy their lives would be.

Lunamon slept soundly on the corner of her bed, the concept of waking her not even crossing the girl's mind. The sunrise shone through the window and made the use of a lamp pointless, the darkness reminding the girl both of the dark tiring mornings lately and of school that was the reason for them. And, of course, that simply reminded her of homework, the upcoming mock exams, and, inevitably, _him_.

She took a sigh, looking down at the feather on the table below the mirror, sitting in a small empty glass and still looking as clean and warm as it did on the day she found it. Its fiery orange and red hairs were soft and gentle as she stroked her hand through it, an action done many a time before and rather comforting given the connotations it had. She looked upwards, contemplating about what he was going through now. Was he still alive? Would she ever see him again? What was he doing to celebrate Christmas this year?

She sighed again, returning the item to its familiar place. Her parents had accepted the item for what it was and hadn't asked any questions, clearly appreciating the sentimental value it held for the girl. Looking at it carefully, she gave a small smile.

"Merry Christmas Ryder," she said softly to it, before wandering towards the door, and the warm shower that would follow shortly after. The door handle was cold to the touch, and the girl let out a short shiver. She paused, looking at the handle and frowning lightly. It was normally where she would find her stocking, but she knew she had grown out of it. Christmas now felt far more appropriate as a family time; not that she would object to presents of course, although having not made a list this year she knew she couldn't be certain what she would get.

One thing was certain, however: it was going to be an unusual Christmas.

* * *

Warmth. Safety. Comfort. Cosiness. Perhaps the foundations for a small fort. Such perfection came from a simple quilt on a simple bed.

Light, however, threatened to tear the boy from his dosing stupor under the quilt, light which came from a quickly rising sun over the land of, ironically, the Rising Sun. Tokyo was slowly coming to life, but, in an amazingly rare occurrence, for once it was not bustling with traffic, with pedestrians, with subway trains. For this single time each year, the snow-capped Mount Fuji looked down upon a relatively silent city, apart from the happy cries of plenty a child as they burst open their new toys, many rather advanced thanks to the country's technological edge, and others far more low tech like simple Digimon cards and clothes.

The boy moaned, pulling the plain pale blue quilt further over his head and plotting to get retribution on the light by staying in bed all day. Even without a need for retribution, his tired mind could think of little need to get up.

The bed shook, a loud thump sounding as something landed on the end, its movements rather energetic and enthusiastic. The boy froze up, blinking his creased eyes open wide and weighing up his options. Pull off the quilt and find out whatever it was that was interrupting him, or hope that it would go away on its own so he could sleep for longer.

Once upon a time, he would've done the latter without a second thought, but a year of taming his Digimon partner had taught him to be aware and prepared, and, so, reluctantly, he gripped the quilt, sat up and did the former.

Mari beamed widely; kneeling on his bed with her face not far from his and her palms planted either side of him. As his vision cleared, he looked over her form, garbed in a loosely-fitted pale blue pyjama top and bottoms, a line of midriff shining through, something which he couldn't deny was a pleasing sight in the morning even if sleep right now seemed like a far more pleasing prospect. Her hair was ruffled, but she evidently didn't care, the nature of the day striking a great sense of happiness into her. "Merry Christmas Ryder," she said, the boy giving her a bewildered look from underneath his brown mop of bed head before glancing to the time on the alarm clock on his bedside table. **08:03 **its red figures proclaimed, Mari's expression beginning to drop as Ryder looked back to her.

"Uh, Merry Christmas!" he replied, merely repeating back to her what she had said (and prompting a roll of the eyes) while his mind tried to get a grasp on the situation. Events finally clicked, bringing a frown with them. _"…so…this is my first Christmas away from home…hmm…"_

She reached out a hand, stroking his cheek gently and giving a smile. "Cheer up, it's Christmas," he said, still remarkably cheerful for the time of the morning. "Don't be a Scrooge," she teased.

Ryder gave a light smile, deciding to go back to an age old argument between the pair thanks to their differing nationalities. "Dickens, another English author."

Mari once again rolled her eyes, sighing contently. "Well, I'll let you know this'll be an _American _Christmas because I haven't the slightest clue how you guys or these guys handle it. I don't know if they have the same kind of Santa Claus we have but I managed to find the hats easily enough," she said, still cheerful.

"Well, we call him Father Christmas more…"

"Call him what you want," Mari quickly interrupted, tiring of Ryder's pedantic nature. He smiled, somehow amused by the girl beginning to lose her temper at him. "All I care is that this is a great Christmas for both of us."

Ryder's face quickly fell into a frown as his mind recalled why this Christmas was notable for both of us.

For him, it was the first Christmas he had ever had away from his family, away from his home. Japan and this world was so different, and, as much as he wanted to just try and move on with his life for now, he couldn't help but pang for those days, the days of creeping down the hallway to open stockings and sitting around the tree opening presents. Sure, it had lost its sparkle in recent years but he couldn't deny he enjoyed the festival.

But, for Mari, he knew it was even more notable, perhaps for a more positive reason. This was the first Christmas she was with someone in three years, getting on for four. Sure, she might have shared Christmas with Jeff or one of her other fellow SDCO employees once or twice, but given that the event was mainly a family time he doubted that was the case. _"Lonely on Christmas," _he thought, his hand going out to gently be placed on her bare forearm. "Yeah," he replied, smiling warmly. "We deserve it."

"Yeah," she replied, nodding unreservedly in agreement and continuing to beam down at him where she kneeled over him on the bed, albeit on the other side of the covers.

"Let me just go back to sleep for a few more…" he began, giving a cheeky grin and beginning to lift the quilt back over him. Mari quickly pushed it down again, leaning forward right over him and grabbing him by the shoulders as at the same she tried to prevent herself toppling over, her knees stretched out wide to avoid crushing him with her weight.

Seeing her stumble, he placed his hands on her sides, staring up at her with a fake expression of irritation. She chuckled, nodding in gratitude for his help before putting on a firm stare. "Ryder, you _are_ getting up. If I let you go back to bed, you'll be in there forever."

"Guilty as charged," he said with a light sigh.

"See, I just know you too well."

"Looks like you two are getting to know each other even better too," interrupted a voice from the side, having watched recent proceedings with an amused expression. Ryder was sat up in bed, his form a lump under the sheets, while Mari kneeled with her legs either side of his hips with her hands on his shoulders as she stared down at his face, both grinning.

Both heads turned quickly to look across the room at the being which had interrupted them, a small bat sitting on the head of a black Kitsune. The fox looked up with a dismissive expression at her fellow Digimon's joke, despite secretly also wanting to know why her Tamer was in a pose she had only seen before on the television and which was, as far as she was aware, to do with the oddly taboo thing humans had called `sexual intercourse'.

Silly or not, once they became aware of the pose they were in, the pair of humans blushed, and looked down at each other, silently agreeing that the point of views they were currently experiencing weren't for ones of their age. Recalling a certain redhead and her dreamy brunette boyfriend, they appreciated the irony before Mari finally took action to end their difficulty.

Running her hands along his arms, she grabbed his hands and gave him no chance to object as she yanked him upwards, appreciating the startled look on his face as she finally succeeded in getting him out of his quilt. He promptly fell onto his own knees, scrambling to steady himself. She simply grinned at the display, glad that he was finally on his way to standing up and actually doing something rather than lying in bed for the whole day, something she didn't hesitate to vocalise.

"That's better."

* * *

Bare feet touched down upon a plush cream carpet, the fabric comforting and soft to the touch. Above was a simple pink skirt and white top, the effort not being worthwhile to put on anything more elaborate. Ivy wandered across the room to the inviting sight of a green tree in the conservatory opposite, a number of presents plopped around below, obviously the silent work of a certain father only a few hours earlier. Once, as a child, she would've rushed over and opened them, eager to find out if Father Christmas had brought what she wanted, but right now, she was content to simply wander over and wait for her family to wake up.

Stepping into the wood and glass conservatory attached to the back of her home, she was given a rather nice panoramic view of the autumnal world. Few trees had leaves on them, and the garden looked dead apart from the cold dew on the grass. Despite this, thanks to the tree and the knowledge it was Christmas, somehow it felt warm, and personal, something she greatly appreciated as she sat down on one of the two sofas to be found in the room.

She stared at the tree, packed to the brim with tinsel, baubles, tiny stars and presents, and at the top a star made out of reeds of wood. All the familiar decorations; all comforting to see given the current turmoil in her heart. _"Ryder's parents must be devastated today," _she contemplated, the sad idea occurring to her of parents having to live through such a child-centric time with one of their children missing - no worse - dead, at least in their eyes.

Later, she would be meeting up with the other three remaining Tamers, taking a moment out of their busy Christmases about midday to get together for an hour or so to remember the boy, probably at his gravestone, a sombre change from the usual happiness of Christmas. She wondered if it'd be worth going to visit Ryder's parents to give them some comfort at this sad time, a time when no doubt they would be missing him greatly.

"_I bet he's missing them too," _she contemplated, looking skywards to the grey sky through the top of the conservatory. _"I know I'm missing him," _she thought sadly, staring through at the blurred vision of the world.

* * *

Paper tore from present, Ryder kneeling on the floor in his dark blue pyjamas as Mari eagerly awaited his reaction, staring over at him from where she herself knelt nearby. Despite there not being that many presents around the plastic tree (the chore of clearing up needles something they had already decided against enrolling themselves in), somehow it looked full and packed, and besides, given their age, lack of any income besides the support from Hypnos and Mari's rather secret `fund' from SDCO, and the fact it was just the two of them this Christmas, they had done a remarkable job.

Tinsel leapt across a few of the walls, whilst baubles sparkled in the light pouring through the pane glass windows, a small crack in the corner remaining from where a bullet had hit them scarcely months before. White lights were hung around the tree and coloured ones ran around the living room and kitchen, advantage taken from the lack of parents to tell them it was "over the top" or "garish". On the top of the tree, a gold star sat, preventing MiniDonmon from making it his perch as he had done back when they had originally set it up.

DarkRenamon stood, watching her Tamer and his boyfriend about the tree, unable to resist smiling as she felt something oddly magical about the plant, somehow bringing an array of life to what she would otherwise have identified as a dull, dead winter day. Seeing Mari happy also lifted her spirits, the girl watching as Ryder ripped back the final piece of wrapping paper and saw what the present was she had gotten him.

A chuckle escaped his lips and a smile burst onto hers as he looked round in her direction and shook his head in disbelief, holding up a large DVD box set. Across the top, the words **DOCTOR WHO** blazed out for all to see, with the subtitle of **Season 47** below, all in a rather deep blue colour in a mock-up phone box design, albeit shaped rather flatter like most DVD compilations.

"Well, given how much you talk about wanting to find out how the series runs over in this universe without being cancelled, I thought, may as well."

"I see, and this is nothing to do with that whole UK versus USA conversation we keep having?"

"No. It does have a lot to do with the USA versus UK one though," Mari said, sticking out her tongue as the boy laughed. He looked curiously over the box and adding it mentally to his list of things to compare with home.

"Very funny. Your turn," he said, gesturing across specifically to a box that lay near her knees. She gave him a suspicious look, noticing how he had chosen a specific present to suggest she opened and lifting it up with care.

"Hmm…" she mumbled, shaking it a bit and hearing it rattle inside. Finally, she could bear it no longer, beginning to tear into the wrapping (albeit far more carefully than his rather random `tear wherever possible' method). She paused once she had made enough progress to see the name on the box, before giving an exasperated look to her boyfriend. "Oh ha-ha," she said, ripping off the remaining wrapping to reveal another DVD box set, this one a mix of dark greens and blacks with the words **[Spooks] **splashed across the front in white writing.

"I thought I'd give you some decent drama."

"If I wanted drama, I'd just watch my own life," she quipped, half serious and half joking.

"Heh, true. Don't worry; they're not all joke presents."

"Not _all_?" Mari asked, raising an eyebrow and giving an exasperated smile. His look turned rather nervous and fearful, which prompted a chuckle to her throat and a smirk to her lips. "Shame, because all of yours are."

Ryder simply gulped jokily, whilst Mari simply smirked more. DarkRenamon and MiniDonmon merely watched, both rather bewildered by the in-jokes of the back and forth between their Tamers but neither wanting to ask lest they appear intrusive or ignorant. The taller of the two, however, did know something for certain.

"_This Christmas thing is strange."_

* * *

A pile of gifts were strewn in Ivy's arms as she struggled to avoid dropping the mismatch of sizes and shapes onto the floor below. She kicked her foot into the door behind her before letting the collection of DVDs, clothes and of course those little gifts which act as punctuation in the Christmas Day festivities collapse onto the bed. She looked down at them periodically, her mind taking in each gift. Less than in previous years, but that was barely a surprise. As always, there was the most important gift in everything, a digital camera which she had taken particularly special care with, taking it out of her pocket and placing it on the side table. It came to a stop near the feather, which vibrated a bit and turned around in its glass slightly.

Ivy wanted to start watching the films, trying the clothes, toying around with those little gifts and taking random pictures the whole time, but she knew that, despite her urge to just enjoy herself right now and relax for once, she had other commitments.

She wandered over to the computer, taking a seat and tapping the button to turn it on. While it loaded, she wandered back to the camera, picking it up and its cable and making a mental note to set it up soon so she could use it later in the day. Of course, it was unlikely to be more than group shots and the occasional picture of a flower at the side of where they would visit: it was not a happy occasion despite being a day that was meant to be so.

Returning to the computer, she glanced to the mobile phone left alongside it, its screen lit up with news of a text message. She opened it up, giving a slight smile as she read the message.

**Mel here merry xmas Ivy! U got all u wntd? R we meeting up there at 1 or wat? Hope u r nt 2 sad ly lots xxx**

Ivy frowned, going to reply before noticing the computer had started up, the screen awaiting a password beneath the name, Ryder Stevens. She pulled a piece of paper from under the speaker, the password not yet ingrained in her memory, and tapped in the combination of letters and numbers before hitting the enter button.

A grim smile reached her face as the system accepted it with no gripes, before she returned to her mobile, typing out a reply.

**Merry xmas 2 u 2. Yeah its 1. I got camera and stuff so yeah. A bit sad yeah. Cant stop thinking of him. On PC now if want chat. Ly lots too xxx**

She turned back to the computer, glancing over the screen as Lunamon wandered up and leapt onto her head from the bed. "Are you okay Ivy?" she asked, her tone deeply concerned as she wondered how the girl could be so sad on what was supposedly a very happy human holiday.

"Yeah, just…remembering."

"Aw," Lunamon gently stroked her partner's face with an ear, Ivy giving a slight smile and nodding as the messenger program whirred into life. The blonde's fingers tapped away at the keyboard as she chatted away to one of her fellow Tamers, Melissa, albeit neither kept themselves to their normal names when choosing those for the messenger program.

**MellyLala: Merry Christmas!**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Same to you too.**

**MellyLala: Hows you?**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: As usual, sad.**

**MellyLala: Aw *hugs***

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Thanks.**

**MellyLala: Cheer up though. We'll all be there later on to chat.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Kinda**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Dunno why, but this feels worse than Ryder's birthday.**

**MellyLala: You shouldn't have gotten him that card.**

**MellyLala: You know you could never send it.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Yeah, true.**

**MellyLala: Don't worry, we'll cheer you up today.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Thanks, but it's just weird, and unusual.**

**MellyLala: Yeah, but you didn't know him that well last Christmas so it can't be that different.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: He had such a big impact on me this year though.**

**MellyLala: Aw.**

**MellyLala: As adorable as hearing you talk about him lovingly is, you know you have got to move on Ivy.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Yeah, I know that.**

**MellyLala: I'm sure he's celebrating Christmas in a better place now.**

**MellyLala: That's if they celebrate it up there.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Maybe.**

**MellyLala: I know you don't really believe in that stuff, sorry.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: No need to be sorry.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: I just think he could still be out there somewhere.**

**MellyLala: I know, but wouldn't he have tried to contact us by now?**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Yeah, but what if he can't?**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Why did we give up searching?**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: We're meant to be his friends.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: We just gave up on him!**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: They never found a body.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: He could still be alive!**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: We owe it to him.**

Ivy paused, frowning as she stopped in her hurried typing, Lunamon echoing her expression as she cautiously went to stroke her Tamer's face again.

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Sorry.**

**MellyLala: No, I'm sorry.**

**MellyLala: There's no reason to feel sad for being so emotional about it.**

**MellyLala: We all want to find out what happened to him.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Maybe some day we will.**

**MellyLala: I hope so.**

**MellyLala: I hate seeing you this sad.**

**MellyLala: I'm meant to be the sad one, remember?**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Lol.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: We can both be happy you know.**

**MellyLala: Yeah.**

**MellyLala: At least you have a reason to be sad, I just make problems for myself.**

**MellyLala: Anyway, this is depressing talking about this on Christmas morning.**

**MellyLala: Remember to come today in the clothes you got for Xmas.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: But I never told you about the clothes.**

**MellyLala: You just did.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Oh.**

**MellyLala: Lol.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Lol.**

**MellyLala: Family calls. I've got to go, see you later.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: See you.**

**MellyLala: Love you lots, and cheer up bunny.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Bunny?**

**MellyLala: You have a rabbit for a partner and you're adorable even when you're sad, so I called you `bunny'.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Oh.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Thanks then Seed-thing.**

**MellyLala: Lalamon just said "HEY!"**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Hehe, I'm sorry.**

**MellyLala: Now she says "that's better."**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Lol.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Love you lots too.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: xxx**

**MellyLala: xxx**

**MellyLala has gone offline.**

Ivy chuckled to herself, gladly cheered up by her best friend and the only other female in their (admittedly small) group of Tamers. The loss of Ryder had pulled them together after threatening to blow them all apart, and they had learnt to function better as a group to make up for his absence. Without the prospect of any other Tamers to help them out, they had to work together well to target what was coming. Such was clear even before Ryder's departure, and no doubt he had already acknowledged that that was the case.

She sighed, the memory of his departure now back in her mind and threatening to tip her once again into depression. Deciding she had later in the day to be miserable, with her friends there to help and comfort her, she stood up, wandering over to a dress lying on the bed and picking it up with a grin on her face. She looked into the mirror, posing with it and a grin as she readied herself for trying on each of her new clothes, labels still attached ready to be returned if necessary.

"_Now for the fun part."_

* * *

The wind rustled through the dead and holed remains of a tree, its stump still stuck in the ground nearby and refusing to move. In both, the scars of battle remained; a chip here, a gash there, the mark of many battles but mostly of one. One with no foreign enemy, only an enemy within the protectorates own ranks.

Ryder frowned as he looked towards it, gripping onto Mari's hand next to him more tightly as a frown crept over his face. Despite it being a cheery day and a fantastic idea to take a walk after the morning's festivities, unfortunately it was through the nearest natural place, which, of course, was Shinjuku Park, the site of their battle with the Second Demon only a pair of months earlier.

The brunette looked back to him, a saddened frown creeping onto her expression as she pulled him close and gently stroked his hand with her fingers. "We'll avoid _there_," she comforted, something which in any other time he would've said to have been a case of her reading his mind. He sighed, pulling her to his shoulder as his hand moved to be round hers.

"Thanks," he uttered, trying to avoid looking at the fallen trees, slightly cracked paving tiles and rutted earth that dotted the park, the repair works not extending to the trees which didn't block paths and the tiles that had only minor cracks in them by looking to the people who had to use the park they had damaged so badly as a group. Evidently, they weren't the only ones with the idea of a walk on their mind, passing plenty of other couples as well as families and even people alone (either happily heading to a party or sadly contemplating loneliness by the looks of it). Mari's face softened up when she saw them, being able to sympathise having been just like them in the years before. Central Park was larger than Shinjuku Park and only served to exacerbate her loneliness, whereas here, despite the destruction and the bustle, somehow felt far more homely and friendly to her.

"I'm looking forward to going to Rika's later."

"Heh, yeah. It'll be strange though, with only us, them and Takato's family there. Not exactly the usual huge packed parties."

"Everyone else is busy though. Christmas is a family time after all."

"Yeah," Ryder said, a frown creeping onto both of their faces as they looked forward at a large group gradually approaching them further along the path. "Shame we don't have any," he muttered with a sigh, Mari nodding before both of their eyes narrowed. MiniDonmon, on Ryder's head, looked bewildered as he tipped himself over to look in his Tamer's eyes.

"What's up Ryder?"

"I recognise them," he said, Mari nodding before a smile graced her face regarding where she recognised the group of six from, a smile gratified when she recognised a pair of long eared creatures on two of the figure's heads.

"Henry! Suzie!" Mari called out, DarkRenamon blurring into vision next to her as she decided to engage in the social festivities rather than watch from afar. That seemed to be the Christmas tradition, after all.

The Third Angel and his sister paused in surprise, prompting their family to do likewise as they looked along at the couple with their two Digimon. Suzie grinned, breaking into a run towards the pair with a smile on her face, Lopmon hanging on for dear life to her ever-energetic Tamer.

"Hey Ryder, hey Mari!" she called, drawing up on them quickly and bringing smiles to their faces. "Happy Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you both," Lopmon echoed, ever-politely, from her head.

"Merry Christmas!" replied the pair of humans and Digimon, tilting their heads up from the ten year old to look at her family. The most familiar to them, of course, were the tall, older blue haired man, Janyuu Wong, and his son, almost as tall as him (and beating him if one were to count the dog-bunny on his head, also extremely familiar to them) and with the same tone of hair. Along with them were the remainder of their family: Mayumi Wong, shorter than her husband with pale brown hair and dressed warmly in a thick jumper; their eldest son, Rinchei, the tallest in the family and aged about twenty (and in his final year at university); and finally their eldest daughter, Jaarin, aged eighteen and only just having started her first year of university. All smiled, all one big happy family glad to be together on Christmas Day. And, of course, this simply reminded both Mari and Ryder that this was something they unfortunately lacked.

"Merry Christmas," greeted the remainder of the family.

"What a surprise meeting you two here in the park today," Jaarin commented, smiling at the pair.

"Then again, given the amount of people who are out here, it's not that much of a surprise," Rinchei explained, looking around at congestion no-one would expect on Christmas Day, albeit congestion rather unlike that which the city was used to, even if its pavements usually were bustling with people going to and fro.

"Still, it's great to see loads of people and families out of the house on Christmas rather than staying in and playing with toys," Janyuu commented, his voice low as always and having a rather professional edge to it even if his words were rather conflicting with the thoughts of some of his children.

"But Lopmon's new dress won't put itself on," Suzie complained, her childish traits not entirely vanished with age and the oncoming of puberty.

"I'm glad to be out in the outdoors too," Lopmon commented, her reasons for saying so going over Suzie's head but being acknowledged by her family and friends about her. Terriermon gave his fellow rabbit a sympathetic look, recalling those past (and indeed, present, sometimes at least) days of being dressed up as `Princess Pwetty Pants'. Whatever pants had to do with being pretty was completely lost on the dog-bunny even after all this time.

"It's a bit chilly though," Mayumi complained, giving a slight shiver as Janyuu tightened his arm around his wife for warmth, he notably having rather less layers on than her.

"Heh, when you've worked in so many server banks as me with all the air conditioning you get used to this kind of brisk cold," he chuckled. "So, kids, are you enjoying your Christmas?"

Ryder gave a concerned eye to his Third counterpart, the boy oddly silent and wrapped up in his own thoughts, before replying. "Yeah, it's nice. We managed to do a great job in setting everything up and we sat there this morning opening our presents. A bit like being a kid again," he laughed.

"Yeah, although I bet you'd be up at five o'clock when you were a kid rather than trying to sleep in until god knows when," Mari complained. "I had to wake him up," she laughed to the family in front of them, deciding to keep the exact manner in which she had tried to wake him up under wraps, given that even she herself hadn't noticed the rather disturbing connotations of it until a certain bat had pointed it out.

"Well, if you'd like to continue your perfect Christmas, we'd be happy to have you over for Christmas dinner at ours," Mayumi suggested, glancing to her husband who nodded in agreement, a smile on his face.

"It's tempting but, we're already going to the Nonaka's for dinner, sorry," Mari apologised. Janyuu shook his head, smiling still.

"No need to apologise at all. Perhaps you and some of the other Tamers could come over for New Years? I'm sure Suzie and Henry would love that."

"Yeah, sounds great!" Suzie cheered as she caught her father's gaze.

"Sure. Do you want to do that Ryder?" she asked. After not getting a reply straight away, she looked to one side where her boyfriend stood, raising an eyebrow.

Right now, Ryder's attention was diverted elsewhere, as he continued to be plagued by the sight of Henry simply staring off into space. "Henry…Henry…" he called, barely noticing his girlfriend's calls as he worried for his friend.

Mari turned to look at Henry, her irritation at her boyfriend evaporating quite quickly once she realised why he hadn't heard her. She was not alone in her worried gaze, joined in it by the boy's family and, indeed, Henry's partner, Terriermon.

"Henry!" Ryder called louder as he waved a hand across the boy's vision, the boy finally snapping out of his trance and back to reality thanks to the much louder call.

"Sorry, what?"

"You were miles away Henry," Terriermon explained rather bluntly. "Geez, you complain about me being antisocial."

Henry sighed sadly, before saying the obligatory words, albeit without his usual confidence that one day they would work. "Terriermon."

"Momentai!"

"What's wrong?" Ryder asked, his voice loud enough to be audible but quiet enough that their conversation wouldn't be easily overheard by all (although the fact they had three Digimon nearby with heightened senses of hearing threw a spanner in that works).

"Nothing, never mind," the blue haired boy replied, shrugging as Mari gave him an even more inquisitive look. Ryder looked back to her, only to receive a rather forceful and ordering look from her of his own. He turned back, gripping Henry's arm and pulling him gently aside periodically to talk.

"Listen, what's up?" he whispered, well aware that the boy's family was watching him. Henry frowned, not wanting to make eye contact with his fellow Angel and failing to reply. "Listen Henry, I'm the leader of us Angels, it's my job to make sure all of us are okay, so please, let me help you if something's bothering you."

"It's that that's bothering me."

"Huh? Me being the leader?"

"No, not that," Henry quickly corrected, shaking his head. "It's me being an Angel and all."

"What, you don't want to be one?"

"No, I do but…I don't feel like I am one."

"Huh?"

Henry decided finally to explain more of what had been bugging him over this past few days, even if it felt rather uncomfortable for him to do so. "Both you and Mari, you had those awakening dreams, right?"

"Yeah, can barely forget mine, all those voices."

"But that's the thing. Rey forced me awake, I never had one. And it's not like I have any powers either, well, not specific ones. I understand other languages, and I have this digivice," he explained, raising his arm. "But that's it."

"Momentai Henry," the rabbit on his head tried to comfort, but his words did little to reassure the boy.

"It might take time Henry, but you are an Angel, trust me on that," Ryder replied, closing his eyes periodically as he brought the ever-present feeling of the other Angels and their awakening states to the fore of his mind. "I can feel it, you're awake, and Mari feels the same way too. And Rey would've said something if this wasn't meant to be the way, so don't worry about this not being what was meant to happen either. You weren't awoken in the normal way, but that doesn't matter. Soon enough, you'll learn your purpose in our group, I promise you that."

"You sure? Right now, I don't feel like I have any purpose with you guys at all."

"You will do. Now come on," he said, patting his friend on the shoulder with a smile as he took a step back towards the boy's family. "It's Christmas - no-one needs to feel sad today."

* * *

Ivy frowned deeply, the same old sadness permeating through her heart as she stepped through the grass of the cemetery, the plants still damp from that morning's frost, and the earth hard enough to crunch under her feet. The cemetery stretched off up a very slight hill, and to the side ran down to a small wood at the bottom. Headstones were laid out, mostly in straight lines, and the bleakness was aided by the leafless trees strewn about. The place was empty, unlikely to get too much attendance on what was meant to be a happy day. Nonetheless, Ivy knew that they still had to take some time on a day known for great gains to remember something, or rather, someone they had lost.

This place, as associated with loss and death as it was, held a rather fond memory for the girl, albeit one still tinged with sadness.

A slim smile graced her face as Ivy fondly rubbed her lips, perfectly remembering that magical moment. Describing it as such wasn't an embellishment either; Ivy felt that it was a rather supernatural moment, one that she doubted she could ever truly explain (although she did have a rather general, and haunting idea thanks in part to Ryder's words on that fateful day).

"_Heh, good kisser," _she thought, before cursing herself for such thoughts. Now wasn't the time - she was here to mourn him, and after all, he wasn't exactly _available_ any more. _"Even if I did stupidly call myself his "love interest" at the funeral."_

But that day could never be a bad one despite anything she had said wrong, because it was the day he appeared to her, comforted her, and even kissed her. He had told her that he wasn't in heaven, he'd told her he was in another world, and he'd made her realise that she knew so little about him. So very little, and so, with only a tinge of guilt, she had asked if she could have his computer.

That was when she had learnt the truth.

Sighing, she remembered those days, days of trying to set up the useless machine and deal with its foibles that surely must've sent the boy to insanity. Even finding out the password had been a challenge, and his parents had become rather concerned about a girl rooting around in his room and in his clothes drawers. A faint blush came to her cheeks at the memory, pulling out the drawer and quickly realising the scale of the task she had put herself to. She had been looking through a person's life: Ryder's life. Once she had found a copy of the password written down for safe keeping, she had access to the PC, from where accessing his surfing history, his files, everything, had been easy, helped by how many browsers would save their user's passwords to the memory. She was glad he had taken such a big security risk, else she could never have learnt so much about him, things ranging from the amusing to the disturbing. A lifetime of photos, of homework, even of several attempts at diaries which had fallen flat on their face after a single entry, usually either complaining about how depressed he was with his love life and his crush or talking about how over the moon he was with it and his life.

Part of her felt guilty for doing what she had. It was his life, his belonging, and he had never given her permission to do so. But…he had asked her to do so many other things, so many things which she could barely imagine having to do….

* * *

"Look…there's something I want you to do…"

"What is it? I'll do anything!"

"Forget me…"

"Huh?"

"Please…I may never come back, and I don't want to ruin your life by doing that. Okay, maybe I don't want you to forget me but…please…live a wonderful life without me…find someone, fall in love and grow old and happy together…fight battles in my name and lead the Tamers to victory…just be fantastic in everything you do…okay?"

* * *

He wanted so much for her. He wanted her to better her life even with his loss, to move on, to fall in love, to become the leader of their group. She felt even more guilty that she simply couldn't do so, that she had clung to the past and that tiny speck of hope for dear life. Knowing that someone had loved you but was now gone, knowing what could've been but never happened all thanks to his fear. Was she that imposing? Was it that difficult for him to tell her? Was she open enough with him back then?

The thing was, that tiny speck of hope, the infinitesimal speck of hope for her, was given by him.

* * *

"The coordinates are twenty-nine repeated nine times…"

* * *

Sure, if the hope had been based on nothing, or based on something that an unknowing friend had said, she might have followed along with it, but it was said by him. He knew there was a chance; he knew that somehow he could save her from it all; he could give her something to aspire to even if he himself didn't know how she could do it.

And so, she hadn't given up. She hadn't moved on, she hadn't entirely accepted her new role as leader, and she certainly hadn't been looking for anyone else. She had persisted in her searches, using the feather, using the computer, using her D-Vice, using everything at her disposal, just looking for how it had happened, just looking for how on earth he had found his way to another universe entirely.

And finally, she found it.

"_Every time it works for longer and longer but every time it hurts my head more. What is going on? Am I doing it wrong? I just want to see him again, is that so bad?"_

"Ivy, are you okay?" Lunamon asked from the top of her head. Ivy frowned, nodding sadly and sighing deeply.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Ivy!" called a voice from nearby, a slim smile coming to the girl's face as she looked up to see her three fellow Tamers about the gravesite, all dressed in fairly sombre clothes but none making too much effort to wear formal, all black clothes. Ivy was herself now wearing a black jacket zipped up over a red top, a pair of jeans below. Her hair, as usual, hung lose as it framed her face and ran down her back.

"Hey Melissa," she said, a saddened tone to her voice as she came to a stop, Lunamon waving gently from her head to her fellow Digimon. Her eyes panned about, looking over the two boys, Douglas and Marvin, before looking down to the gravestone. A lump quickly formed in her throat, one which grew as she read the words she had selected all those months ago.

**Ryder Stevens**

**1993-**

**Partner, Lover, Friend**

**May we never forget him, wherever he may be.**

**Please come home, or rest in peace.**

She stared for a while, before an arm wrapped about her shoulder, her short dull red hair now longer than before, running down to her shoulders and being rather frizzy in its style. Melissa gave her a comforting look, as both of the boys gazed at the pair.

"Sorry," Ivy sighed, frowning deeply. "I know it's Christmas and all."

"Don't worry Bunny, you can feel sad," Melissa said, a slim smile on her face as she brought up the nickname, and in the process brought a short-lived smile to the blonde's face as well. The other blonde there, Douglas, raised an eyebrow at this, but Marvin let it pass, giving a reassuring smile of his own to the girl.

"Yeah, we all miss him," the shortest boy, and indeed, shortest of all of their Tamers, comforted. His light brown hair flowed slightly down the side of his head, framing his smile.

"Thanks guys," Ivy said, her voice but a saddened whisper.

Douglas chuckled, gazing down at the gravestone with a slim smile, one that to anyone else would've looked rather callous given the circumstances. He spoke, his words hushed but still audible to the people around in the deadened silence of the cemetery, only the wind there to accompany them. "I really can't believe you're gone mate. No-one to contend with any more over anything," he complained, before sighing as his smile fell. "You and I kept this group in check and I made sure your head was screwed on when you were up in the clouds. And yeah, I may have been as cocky as you at times, but that's how I've always been and I know you must've appreciated that deep down. And hell, you turned me a bit mad too, given I'm now talking to myself," he said, flashing a smile to his friends of amusement. "Still, I know we'd all give anything to have you back."

"Aw, that's so…I want to say lovely, but…" Melissa said, a smile on her face as she wandered over to the boy and the stone. "I don't really think that's the word."

"I can do emotional stuff too you know."

"It's nice to see you softening up," Marvin said with a slim smile. Douglas cocked an eyebrow in irritation, before rolling his eyes.

"Quiet midget."

Melissa sighed, shaking her head in disbelief before bending down by the stone herself, staring at the name with a slim smile. "Listen, I know you may have found me a bit strange at times and I had a bit of a temper with you, but I also knew you saw me as a close friend and someone to rely on in all of our battles. Hell, I know that we can all rely on each other to pull through, even when we have nothing else left. It's that sort of bullshit that you would always trumpet but I could never really believe it until the end, and until your death," she said, pausing as she said the terrible word. A smile brushed across her face as she tapped her hand against the gravestone. "Anyhow, I'm sure you're having fun up there in heaven, arguing with Him about everything under the sun. We'll all see you again one day, I know we will."

A slim smile crossed the faces of those watching, even those who were unsure or non-believers. Melissa took a step back, looking aside to the others who had gathered about the stone and waiting for another to come forth.

Marvin took up the baton of speaking words to their `dead' friend, a faint smile on his face as he looked over the stone. "It's strange, I always knew you were rather intellectual, if a bit strange, but when we began to debate, and face off against each other and all, I guess it showed you were an intellectual equal. It was great having you as a team leader, even when you got so obsessed with it being meant to be like the TV series and all that you forgot it was real life. The arguments sucked but, you did know when to fight for a cause, even one that we all thought was hopeless," he noted, glancing over at Ivy who gave a slight look of surprise. "I know that even if you hadn't died you'd still have at least tried to get us together today. You were a bit of a dramatist and I did wonder sometimes if you could cope with real life, but still, you were a great friend and both Leormon and I really miss you. We all do."

The boy looked down to his partner, who gave a nod whilst retaining a look of contemplation on his admittedly childish, or rather, baby lion-ish features. Marvin looked back to Ivy, taking a step aside as they awaited what she would say, the one who seemed most affected by his death. She out of all of them was still furthest from coming to terms with it all, and she still seemed insistent that they would find him and that he was still alive when all of them had given up hope. It was half-inspiring, half-saddening to see.

Ivy wandered forward, Lunamon leaping aside to talk to her fellow Digimon who the absence of school had made her communication with irritatingly brief. Gaomon, Leormon and Lalamon turned to face her, half-wanting to talk and half-wanting to watch her Tamer as she stopped by the stone.

Her blonde hair shook as she knelt down, the earth hard but thankfully not muddy, and thus left her clothes intact. Ivy doubted she would care until a lot later even if they had been damaged.

"I don't really know what I can say that I haven't said before. You know how I feel Ryder…you really do. I love you…I love you so much and I wish you'd come up with the courage to tell me before you were taken from us. But…still, I don't blame you. I always had a feeling that you felt that way about me but I didn't want to say anything either, it's hard to take that risk of wrecking a relationship just for a silly crush. I sometimes wonder if I'd have such strong feelings if I hadn't lost you, but I've learnt that wondering like that just depresses me," she sighed, rubbing her hand across the corner of the gravestone. "I know you are out there somewhere, you have to be, and one day I know we'll see each other again," she said, frowning as the same hand reached down into her pocket, her voice quietening so much it was inaudible to all but Lunamon, who had the benefit of large ears. Within her pocket, she gently fingered the feather, _his_ feather, the feather which she knew would one day come in useful. "One day I'm going to find you, and I'm going to find a way to bring you back so I can be with you. Everyone here misses you so much. Your Tamers, your parents, but most of all me, because thanks to you I got such a huge insight on another life that I never took the chance to really find out about until it was over. I'll never forget you, and I'll never give up on trying to save you. There are people here who love you, people here who need you, and people here who miss you," she sighed, standing back to her feet again. "I'll see you again soon," she said, frowning deeply as she turned, only for Melissa to pull her in a hug.

"It's okay Ivy," she comforted, a sigh going up amongst the boys at the depression of the current situation. As important as it was to mourn their lost friend, it was Christmas, a time for happiness.

"_I just want to go home," _Douglas mused, putting his hands in his pockets as he uncomfortably looked towards the gate, so far away from where they were.

"Listen, listen," Ivy began, calling their attention as she shook off the prevailing urge to simply do nothing and lie about, depressed, which was definitely not the best thing to do in a cemetery, not least on Christmas Day. She still had a long day ahead of her, and, whilst the prospect of sleep appealed greatly to her, she knew she was still far from its embrace. "I think we should go to see his parents today."

Melissa quickly nodded in agreement, a sad smile on her face. "Yeah, they must really be hit hard without him on Christmas of all days."

"We can go and comfort them," Lalamon agreed, tipping herself forward and backward in a nod.

"I think it's a stupid idea," interrupted Douglas and promptly Lalamon to unsteadily drop down in the air somewhat out of surprise. Melissa shot a harsh look in his direction, threatening that some tactless remark about "wanting to go home and have fun" would not be taken well.

"Why is that?" Gaomon asked his Tamer, his fur gently ruffled in the soft wind of the cemetery as he looked up to the boy's thick black jacket over a rusty orange shirt.

"The last thing his parents want right now is a reminder of why they lost him. I mean, come on, the only thing truly unique about him was his status as a Tamer, and with all the crap that happens as a result of Digimon I bet they're blaming Donmon's involvement for his death right now."

"But Donmon was a member of their family!" Leormon complained, shocked by the harsh judgement the now-tallest member of their group was making.

"Ryder was their son, and they lost him. I mean, come on, you see all those appeals from parents who've lost children on the telly. They always blame someone or something for the disappearance."

"That doesn't mean they wouldn't want us there to comfort them. We were Ryder's best friends, we worked as a team and we mopped up for each other as a team," Melissa complained. "I don't care what crap you're spouting about his disappearance and its causes, it doesn't change the cause."

"It changes everything Melissa! And how can you say anything about the cause of his disappearance? You're the only one here who really thinks he's dead!"

"Exactly, so I think we should comfort the family he left behind."

"In a death in his own bedroom with no body left behind and nothing in the Digital World to tell us what happened to him?"

"Come on guys, I don't think this is the place," Marvin protested, putting up his hands in objection to the arguments.

"Shut up. I'm so sick of everyone being blind to the truth here. Ryder is gone, and he's not coming back. He's not dead, he's not in heaven and he's not out there missing us. He's probably found somewhere better than this god-forsaken rock anyhow," the mid-blonde boy argued, tapping his foot against the cold earth below in bitterness. "Bloody wish I could, there must be somewhere a lot more optimistic than here."

"We're not side-stepping anything here, we know that he's gone," Melissa argued back. "And this world isn't _that_ bad."

"Yeah, and personally, I can't just give up the hope that he'll come back. He came back the last time he got lost in the Digital World. He's always been resourceful even if his ideas can be a bit stupid at times," Marvin added.

"Ugh, this is absolutely insane," Douglas sighed, putting his hands behind his back in frustration.

"You know what, let's just let our team leader decide," Marvin suggested, looking to Ivy who had been silent thus far in the arguing.

"Yeah, that's what we'd have done in the past if we were stuck like this," Leormon agreed with his Tamer, the blonde-haired girl looking rather surprised and worried by how she had suddenly been brought back into the conversation with a sudden weight on her back to make a decision here.

"Hold up, that's another thing I'm pretty pissed off about. When did we make Ivy our team leader?" Douglas asked, still angered and crossing his arms in annoyance. "I don't remember ever being asked."

"That's just because _you_ want to be leader," Melissa spat, still shocked by the nonsense she continued to hear spewing from the boy's mouth.

"Hey, I have no problems with Ivy being leader but I thought, as Ryder would say, we're a team, and so we make decisions _together_. Or are we no longer listening to the Gospel according to Ryder anymore?" he asked, glaring down at the girl and throwing in a religious comment which he knew would strike a chord with her.

"Low blow Douglas," she hissed, glaring back at him. "I don't care if you think I'm a religious nut job or whatever, but I do care if you just start…"

"No, seriously, how can you insist that Ryder was a great leader and then turn around and ignore what he taught?" Douglas quickly interrupted as he saw her diverting the topic.

"To be fair Douglas, we never really had an official leader anyhow. Ryder just pulled us together as a group and that's why we all followed him, and he kept uniting us even at the worst of times," Marvin began, trying to inject some reason into an argument which had become little more than a string of insults and bitter cries.

Ivy had by now descended into a state of simply staring down at the cold earth, hearing her friends argue about her as she felt helpless. What use was she as a leader anyway? Sure, Ryder had actually appointed her as his new leader in his strange appearance, but what difference did that make? She couldn't just tell them that he had said that, they'd think she was completely insane, perhaps with good reason too. Besides, the team needed the best leader, not just the one who got handed the title, and right now, standing here and watching as her friends tore into each other without even contributing a single word herself, she knew she wasn't the best by far.

Douglas, whilst being a bit rough in his language and harsh in his emotions, definitely had the mental and physical toughness and steadfast nature both in and out of battle to take up such a role.

Melissa was passionate and caring, and could hold a point well as she was proving right now, but in the heat of the battle she would be unlikely to make the right decisions and could become overwhelmed by the scale of things.

Marvin was intellectual and smart but he lacked the presence of a leader, as the fact he was overall being mainly ignored by the other two rather proved. In battle, he could ignore the emotional side of things and end up with a tunnel-vision of proceedings, not the best move when his friends could be hurt as a result.

But all, she felt, were better than her. She was Ivy, the caring but overall too emotional girl who would be too busy mourning over the lost boy who had a crush on her to even think about battle, and leadership. No-one would listen to her.

Would they?

She clutched the feather in her pocket, dearly hoping for answers from its still-perfect form. Was it her job to take over as leader? Could she handle the responsibility? What if things went wrong? The prospect of being blamed for a battle gone badly, an enemy on the loose or, worst of all, deaths, was simply not one she wanted to shoulder.

Looking out however, she saw her friends bickering, none wanting to back down and none being able to stem the tide of the argument regardless. None could pull the group together right now, and that made it clear to Ivy that she simply didn't have a choice. As Marvin had put it, Ryder had pulled them together as a group. That was what made him a good leader: they listened to and followed him.

Ivy decided to leave it up to this one moment of intervention, this one moment of finding out whether they would listen to her calls to stop and her act of taking charge or whether they would disregard her entirely.

She took a deep breath, before looking up and opening her eyes, a sharp look piercing straight through them as she glared at each of her comrades…and spoke…

"Right, here's the thing guys," she began, barely pausing to give them a chance to look surprised as she looked between them, holding their attention tightly and not letting go. "We are _going_ to see Ryder's parents, and that's final. Why? Because I know that if _I _were one of them, right now I'd be sad, miserable and lonely. Hell, even if we can't help them, we can at least show them we care. And Douglas, I know that you think that Ryder's loss is the end of it all, but it really isn't. Marvin is right; there is still a chance he's out there, because as you said yourself they didn't find a body. Until we get resolution to this, I don't want _any_ of you giving up on him. Finally, Melissa, you have got to stop arguing with him. I know you don't see eye to eye on everything, but he does have a point. Ryder may still be alive and your heavenly approach to proceedings isn't helping, even if you do mean well. Now, all of you, I know we've had our differences and everything, but as we've seen in the past both with and without Ryder together we're a lot stronger than we are apart. And I know I wasn't appointed as leader, but Marvin, as you said, the leader is the one who can pull everyone together at the worst of times. Still, Douglas is right; we have to also agree as a team on things so…everyone who wants me to be leader raise their hand."

Douglas, Marvin, Melissa and their Digimon glanced amongst each other, hands beginning to rise. First Marvin, then Leormon raised a paw. Lalamon floated up slightly onto Melissa's raised hand. Gaomon raised his glove in agreement, and Douglas nodded, admittedly impressed by the girl's speech enough to agree.

Ivy looked round, smiling to see Lunamon raising her own ear alongside her. She was the best leader, and all it had taken was a bit of bravery to prove it. A sigh of relief burst from her lips.

* * *

The keys slammed into the counter, skidding across before promptly falling straight down the other side onto the kitchen floor. Quietly cursing, Ryder rushed round, awkwardly laughing an apology as Mari stood there watching with her arms crossed, the keys a major bugbear of hers. She kicked the door closed behind her, relishing the mish-mash of guilt and embarrassment on the boy's face.

"Better," she confirmed, nodding at the keys.

"Heh."

"So, what do you feel like doing now?" Mari asked, putting her hands in her pockets as she looked about the decorated apartment, a smile returning to her face as she pulled off her jacket and threw it over a hook, turning round to show off her new top, black with the words **Rock Chick** printed across the chest in stylistic white writing, the red and orange edges of flames rising around the slightly cropped bottom. Realising that her hair had been made a total mess by her jacket during the walk, she put her hands up to adjust it while Ryder checked his watch, or rather, his D-Vice.

"Well, it's half one. We said we'd be at Rika's just after three, which gives us an hour and a half to burn."

Mari nodded, already well aware of that fact and rather peeved. "Exactly, that's why I asked. So what do you want to do? We could play with our new toys, watch a DVD…"

Ryder felt his eyelids dragged down as he remembered one thing he had been rather deprived of that morning that seemed very tempting right now. "…catch up on some sleep?" he said, yawning.

"No."

"Fine," he sighed, looking over to the television as an idea occurred to him. "You know, one thing I always hated about Christmases at home was missing out on all the stuff they had on the television especially for it because we'd always have a party, and recording it isn't really the same."

"Yeah, but this is Japan. We can't even watch the news here without laughing endlessly, remember?" Mari said, a grin on both of their faces as they recalled that particular incident soon after they had arrived in their new country.

"Thank `Tarrant on TV' for that. Still, even with that, I feel like watching some god awful Christmas television," Ryder said, clasping his hands together and grinning widely. "Let's watch some crap!"

* * *

The streets of Wimbledon, a suburb of the bustling city known as London were perhaps their quietest for a whole year, 4x4s sitting idle, pavements barely touched by the pounding of feet and never a horn to be heard upon the wind. Sure, there were people heading to Christmas parties, and those who either didn't celebrate Christmas or were forced to work on this most celebrated of days, but it was nothing compared to the normal congestion (albeit, which in itself was nothing compared to that of the infamous centre of Tokyo). Walking through this most silent of days were four teenagers, two girls, two boys, two blondes, two brunettes, and with them a great variety of creatures called Digimon.

"Hey, guys, I don't want you to get at me for complaining again but I can't be here too long since I've got to get back for my family's Christmas party," Douglas said, breaking the silence as the familiar house came into view along the road. A dark, almost military green ring skirted the screen of the watch-like D-Vice on his wrist.

"Same," Marvin agreed, noting the wariness in his friend's voice to reopen that hellish hornet's nest again. He had a very thick grey jumper on along with some thick black trousers, the former being sort of thing which no-one would be seen dead if they had a choice. Well, perhaps at least, since Marvin himself seemed to be wearing it with no problems even if normally he would resort to something far less old man-ish. A rusty orange ring was embedded into his digivice on his arm.

"I know it's nice to be together as friends today, but I've got to get home too," Melissa agreed, her thick grey coat over a red top and a black skirt and tights fluttering in the wind lightly along with her somewhat frizzy hair. Her D-Vice featured an indigo ring about its screen.

"Yeah, I've got to go home soon too, so we won't stay here too long," Ivy said to her team, unsure of whether to smile or to frown on what was quickly developing into a depressing day thanks to arguments, fall-outs and, of course, the weather. As the house drew closer, a house holding a mix of happy and sad memories for the girl with a silver ring on her digivice, she broke into a frown.

The building, like all the others in the side-street, was detached from its neighbours, the area of Wimbledon they were in consisting mostly of late 1980s-era brick-built homes that owed thanks for their existence to the endless expansion of London's population and suburbs. A garage was attached to the two-storey home with a gate to the back at the side, and a family car sat on the drive.

Ivy decided against pausing to take in the sight of the home once again, and progressed straight across to the door, a small white doorbell button housed in a black casing attached to one side. As she pressed it, she could hear it ring behind the brown front door, her friends quickly coming to stand behind her. _"Here goes nothing," _she mused to herself, a figure walking up to the door seen through the frosted glass in it near the top.

"Merry Christmas," the group chorused as the door was opened, smiles appearing on their faces in the hope that they would be contagious. And to Ivy's relief, those smiles were promptly returned by a pair of thankful parents.

* * *

"See, that's what I just don't get about anime," Ryder began to rant, as the Christmas special of some random anime they had never seen before and certainly had no real interest in watching beyond being a medium of passing the time began on the screen. "How do they get half of this stuff on the air?"

"What do you mean?" MiniDonmon asked, fluttering down to a stop on his partner's head.

"I mean, you hear people always complaining about how this stuff all gets censored when it airs in the west, if it does at all, even if it doesn't have any sexual content or really explosive battles or anything."

"Who are these people?" Mari asked, raising an eyebrow in bewilderment.

"Uh…well…most of Digital Watch really."

"Oh, yeah," the girl replied, shaking her head as she recalled one of the less family-friendly forums of that site. At some point that place was going to need some control else it would probably run riot, but given the age of those using it, the vulgar humour and jokes of its forum were not completely unexpected.

"Anyway, what I mean is that it's weird how over here the stuff that would cause an outrage where we come from is completely normal and run-of-the-mill, even on a kids show. At the same time, using your mobile on a train is a serious taboo. I am so glad for this Babel-fish thing because I couldn't imagine having to learn the language and get all the formality stuff right too."

"Yeah, I do know what you mean. I'm always afraid over here that you and I are going to hug or something in public and we'll get arrested for indecency. I mean, sure public acts of affection may be a bit off-putting in any country, but it's strange how over here that sort of thing is seen as kinda wrong while at the same time there are shows on the television for kids which defy belief."

"Heh, we've been here for months and yet it still feels like a foreign country."

"Different universe more like," MiniDonmon quipped, waving a hand in the air as Ryder chuckled.

"For us maybe."

Mari frowned, mentally sighing as she went to change the subject. She didn't want to end up discussing Ivy again - it was Christmas after all. By now, of course, she knew that was exactly where this conversation would end up. "So…" she began, before being interrupted by a clattering noise from the doorway.

"Huh?" Ryder mumbled, cocking an eyebrow as he got to his feet. "Post on Christmas Day? Maybe this really is a different universe," he said, before freezing up as he realised what this meant. The white envelope sitting on the doormat could only be from one person, and, as a result, Ryder's lips quickly ran dry.

* * *

Ivy, for the second time that day, found herself at a front door, only this one was even more familiar than the last because it was her own front door, and this time round merely Lunamon accompanied her. A frown hung on her face, the good feeling from helping out Ryder's family and being together as a group of Tamers not being enough to counter the sorrow she had felt in that household. As expected, they hadn't been there long, not only because she and her Tamers had Christmas parties to get to but also because Ryder's parents themselves had a Christmas party to get to, one where no doubt they would continue to be comforted by relatives, and probably depressed by the sight of nieces and nephews too.

The blonde sighed, reaching down into her pocket and pulling forth a house key from alongside the feather which gently stroked her hand as she did so. She glanced back at the large number of extra cars on the drive and parked along the street, knowing that she was about to go headfirst into the middle of the festivities of the party. She hoped it would cheer her up somewhat, since right now she certainly didn't feel in a festive spirit.

Inhaling deeply, she stepped forward and opened the door, quickly faking a smile as one of her younger relatives rushed up to her.

"Hey!"

* * *

Mari stood up and glanced to DarkRenamon, quickly materialising within the apartment, before gesturing over to the doorway. The Kitsune nodded, quickly and relatively silently making her way over and picking up the card. As she walked back, she looked over the name, a look of concern on her face as she held out the white envelope to Ryder.

The brunette didn't take the card straight away, casting a nervous look over to Mari who looked rather impatient, if agitated. He took the card from the fox, and looked over the writing on the front with a frown. _"No surprises there then."_

He promptly ripped open the envelope, wasting no time in lifting out the card inside. On its cover, a nice drawing picture of a cottage in England somewhere, all cosy with nice blankets of snow lying about and a traditional Christmas tree seen through the window.

"Peh, it's never really like that," he commented to Mari, stalling for time as he worried what was inside.

"Just open it," Mari said quickly, knowing that this could only mean ill. This was far too familiar, after all, and all signs pointed to only one sender. _"Can't she give me one decent day with him without interrupting us. Ugh, if we ever do start having s...uh, I don't think I'll finish that thought," _she mused, a slight shudder running up her spine as she gently pressed her shaking fingers against the bare skin on her hip.

Ryder quickly did as she said, his eyes scanning over the message for a name before he began to read.

**Love from Ivy**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Hmm…" _he thought, knowing that alone would lead to problems with Mari. With a mental sigh, he pushed his eyes to the top, and began to read.

* * *

"I still can't believe you're real. No offense intended of course."

"It's so amazing to think our granddaughter and you saved the world."

"You're so adorable!" cried a small girl as she stared at Lunamon, who had already begun to feel nervous under the pressure of Ivy's family's attention. Most of them had never actually met the rabbit before, indeed, few had even seen a Digimon in reality before. As a result, the party was already very tiring on the bunny, but Ivy doubted she could intervene and make a difference right now.

Shaking her head and rolling her eyes in disbelief as the normally-quiet Digimon continued to be questioned by a barrage of relatives, she wanted over to the table of snacks laid out to tide people over until Christmas Dinner later on. The blonde had already changed out of her outdoor clothes into something more appropriate for a party: her favourite outfit of a white knee-length dress about her form with a black belt around her hips. She picked up a cut of a French bread stick, chewing on it as she turned back to look at the room. Some relatives sat around the dinner table, chatting, while others sat in the living room looking at and interrogating Lunamon. The room was busy, the mood was happy, and Christmas songs piped over the stereo system in the corner while her mother rushed in with dishes and plates, ignoring offers from relatives of helping.

Ivy breathed in deeply, frowning sadly as she wished she could take some of that happy mood for herself. Maybe going out to see his parents wasn't such a good idea after all, as nice as it had felt to help them out. Indeed, perhaps even making a special thing of remembering him today was a mistake. She had plenty of other days to feel miserable on, why had she purposefully made herself feel so on Christmas?

She looked to the door, something she had forgotten occurring to her as she first wandered over to her partner, giving a brief respite for the bunny. "Lunamon, I'm just popping upstairs," she said, before promptly turning and heading for the exit.

* * *

**Dear Ryder,**

**I'm so sorry I can't be with you this Christmas. I really hope you're having a nice one after all that's happened. I went to visit your parents today with the others, and they're sad about it all but they were really glad to see us. They've gone off to a party with relatives now, so don't worry about them. They miss you so much, and I want to wish you a Merry Christmas from them too. In fact, I want to wish you a…**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR**

…**from all of us, because we all really miss you so much. But, it's Christmas, so I don't think I should be depressing either of us any more with all of this `who's missing you' stuff. I hope you're having fun with Mari, and can you wish her a Merry Christmas from me too (although she's probably already reading this). Thanks. Oh, and wish a Merry Christmas to Donmon, DarkRenamon and all the others too.**

**Love from Ivy**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**P.S. Sorry about the lack of a present, but it's rather difficult to send anything from here. Blame the Royal Mail for that.**

**P.S.2. Tell Mari that I think her new top is cool too, and sounds very `attractive' also. Nice move Ryder.**

Mari looked up to Ryder, a mix of continued astonishment and irritation on her face as the boy awaited the usual complaint, as well as hoped she hadn't read the footnotes. She looked ready to argue back, but then she stopped, simply exhaling deeply.

"You know what; I just don't care anymore."

"Huh?"

Mari put her hands up in a resigning pose. "I really don't care now, because it doesn't matter what I think. She's just going to keep on sending this sort of stuff to you, and there's nothing I can do about it either. "Now can we just get ready for going to Rika's already?"

Ryder blinked, hesitating and glancing down at the card. He was completely unsure whether to feel glad there hadn't been an argument or sad that Mari had gotten to the point where she had just given up on the whole situation. "Uh, okay."

"Ugh, I'm going to have another shower before we go, I feel crap," she groaned, wandering across to the bathroom door as she ran a hand through her hair in exasperation. DarkRenamon glanced at her with a frown before taking a look at Ryder, the boy with a rather troubled expression on his face as he finally remembered to reply.

"Right."

"_Maybe I'm being too hard on him," _pondered Mari as she stopped by the door, a frown on his face. _"Then again…I really do hate him for all this and wish he'd realise what he's doing…but…I love him too…and it's not really his fault. And, it's Christmas - I can't just leave us all miserable and everything…but…I do really worry…what would happen if Ivy gets back? He must think one of us is more attractive…surely? I know I would if I were him…at least, I think I would…has he just settled for me or what?" _she thought, pausing with a hand on the door. _"Am I just being silly?"_ A sly grin came to her face as she realised a way she could both get some confidence in the matter and leave them both in a better mood than they already were in.

Unknowing of Mari's inner turmoil and the plan she was forming, Ryder headed over towards a number of cards set up along the side in the kitchen area. There weren't really that many since, after all, they didn't have many people who could send them ones. At least they didn't have to worry about getting a Christmas card from some distant long-ago friend and then feeling guilty of not having sent their own.

However, Ryder failed to reach the kitchen before something else interrupted him, something he had been dreading greatly ever since he had read the footnote in Ivy's card.

"Ryder," called a voice across the room. Ryder froze up, before uncomfortably turning to face her.

"Yeah?"

Mari had now turned to face him with a raised eyebrow, her expression now less sad and instead more a mix of curiosity and irritation. Her hands were on her hips with her thumbs outwards, pressing into the bare skin just below where her black **Rock Chick** top ended. "So…you got me this because you thought I'd look hot in it?" she asked with an annoyed tone, posing somewhat to ensure that the situation was as uncomfortable for him as possible.

Rather expectedly, Ryder froze up in horror, his words jammed in his throat by the sudden and awkward question. _"Okay, wonderful, another leading question. Now, let's see, if I say yes, I'm a pervert and I only got her the top for my own benefit. But, if I say no, I'm saying my girlfriend is unattractive. Why is my life always like this?"_

"Ryder," Mari pressed, a stern look on her face.

"Uh…yeah, you do look attractive in it," he stammered, trying to cover his bases with a lengthened reply. He crossed his fingers tightly behind his back when done, hoping he hadn't just made a very bad mistake.

Mari paused, closing her eyes, chuckling and shaking her head in disbelief, whilst inwardly feeling a lot happier. "Thanks Ryder, and, for the record, I don't mind you finding me attractive. I am your girlfriend, after all," she said with a smirk.

"Uh…noted."

"Good," she replied, relishing the opportunity to screw with his mind just that little bit more. She grinned widely, lifting her thumbs, already pressed against the bare skin on her hips, and taking the bottom of her top with her.

Ryder's mouth fell ajar, not sure whether she was trying to make his mind explode with the stress and insanity already that day so far. Did someone up there truly have a big grudge against him? He was silently thankful that, despite being the subject of an anime, this world didn't in reality have anime physics, else he knew he would be trying to stem a nosebleed right now.

Mari continued to pull her top up and off, giving a completely natural expression afterwards as she held back the urge to burst into laughter at the sight of Ryder, gobsmacked, staring on at her in her white bra with extremely widened eyes. Part of her felt like scolding him for looking and teasing him that way, but instead she decided to continue with the remarkable innocence and obliviousness she had been portraying so far in doing so, which, of course, was a far more subversive manner of sending him for a loop. Besides, she had already proven to herself what she had needed to for her own confidence's sake, and there was no need to sink the current apprehensive mood in the room by saying anything.

Even MiniDonmon, perched on the end of the sofa, looked surprised, albeit more out of the fact Mari had suddenly pulled her top off, something he'd never seen anyone do before (besides his partner of course but then again, that came as a given when one lived with a Tamer), let alone a human female, than because of knowing its connotations. DarkRenamon, from the shadows, herself not entirely aware of what it meant, still couldn't help but silently laugh at Ryder's shocked expression.

To finish off her teasing, with a completely straight face, Mari flung the top straight at him, it fluttering through the air towards him while he struggled to come to terms with exactly what was happening any more. Fortunately, his last second reactions, a result of being a Tamer and an Angel, just kicked in at the last second and allowed him to catch it between his arms.

"Could you pop that on my bed? I want to wear it later and if I take it in here with me I just know it's going to get soaking," she continued innocently, trying desperately not to laugh at his dumbstruck face as he held the black top in his hands, trying at the same time to hold onto the card which he still had yet to put down. "Thanks," she said, turning and heading into the bathroom before kicking the door closed behind her.

Speechlessly, Ryder simply glanced between staring at the top in his hands and the bathroom door, whilst MiniDonmon flapped across and landed on his shoulder with an oblivious gaze. "What's up Ryder?"

"Uh…uh…never mind," Ryder replied, shaking his head in total disbelief at what had just happened. She sighed, wandering over and putting Ivy's card down on the side, suddenly feeling like it wasn't the most notable thing that day. He turned around, taking a step back towards the sofa before something occurred to me. _"Was that what she was trying to do?"_ he wondered, furrowing his brow. Was she trying to give something more notable to today, to claim it back for herself? "Hmm…"

* * *

A drawer slid back with a rumbling noise before a hand quickly pulled out a Christmas card, a lovely picture of a cottage in rural England with snow fallen over all presented nice and quaintly on the front. The hand's owner quickly swung round, pressing into a computer's power button with her other hand before reaching for a pen.

"Right, hmm…" Ivy mused, pushing the keyboard aside and planting the card down open on the desk as she began to ponder what to write in it. Deciding to do what she usually did and let it flow naturally, she pressed her pen against the card and began to write.

**Dear Ryder,**

**I'm so sorry I can't be with you this Christmas. I really hope you're having a nice one after all that's happened. I went to visit your parents today with the others, and they're sad about it all but they were really glad to see us.**

Seeing the screen change, her fingers ran to the keyboard and logged in.

**They've gone off to a party with relatives now, so don't worry about them. They miss you so much, and I want to wish you a Merry Christmas from them too. In fact, I want to wish you a…**

She paused, skipping past the large printed letters in the middle saying **MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR**.

…**from all of us, because we all really miss you so much. But, it's Christmas, so I don't think I should be depressing either of us any more with all of this `who's missing you' stuff. I hope you're having fun with Mari, and can you wish her a Merry Christmas from me too (although she's probably already reading this). Thanks. Oh, and wish a Merry Christmas to Donmon, DarkRenamon and all the others too.**

**Love from Ivy**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

She frowned, glancing over the message and leaving the card on the desk in case she thought of anything else to add. She looked up to the screen, beginning to check on the usual websites and be wished a Merry Christmas by one of her school friends. Her fingers blitzed across the keyboard, her typing skills increased massively since she began to use the computer on a regular basis at home. At one point, she paused, a thought occurring to her as she glanced to the presents on the bed.

**P.S. Sorry about the lack of a present, but it's rather difficult to send anything from here. Blame the Royal Mail for that**, she wrote, a slim smile on her face. She looked back to the screen, her fingers endlessly tapping away as she responded to emails, chatted to those friends who were online, and generally got away from the stress of that day, before something else occurred to her, a larger smile rapidly appearing on her face. She reached for the pen again.

**P.S.2. Tell Mari that I think her new top is cool too, and sounds very `attractive' also. Nice move Ryder.**

"Ivy?" asked a voice from behind. The girl spun about on her chair to see her mother poking her head through the door. A slight embarrassed blush appeared on Ivy's cheeks at what she was caught doing even if she knew her mother hadn't a clue what she was actually writing. "Dinner's ready," she told her daughter.

"Okay…" Ivy replied, glancing down to the card. "I'll be down in a sec."

"Don't be too long," her mother insisted, before leaving. Ivy stood up, glancing at the feather across the room periodically. It sat there, motionless as ever, a red herring in her life that she had yet to completely understand the point of. Card in hand she wandered across to the door and along the hallway, passing the sound of the festivities below.

Continuing, she reached the office, a mess of papers and shelves with a desk and another computer in the middle. She wandered over to one shelf, a scanner planted on it. Glancing at the card to check it was all alright she lifted up the top, and planted it down onto the glass inside.

"_Hope this works this time," _she thought. Anything was better than suffering the sharp headaches of that other method, even if it did seem like her only way of ever reaching him. Sighing, she turned the scanner on, and quickly got to work.

* * *

The familiar gate creaked open by a gloved hand, the sky just beginning to go dark and the day very cold. Two pairs of shoes and two paws stepped across the path towards the front door of the household, traditional in its style. Lights burst through its translucent panes from behind, a Christmas party beginning inside.

"Finally. I'm bloody freezing," Ryder noted, shivering despite wearing a jumper and a coat over his t-shirt and jeans. Mari, similarly wrapped up warm, gave him a sly grin.

"Yeah, now I can get inside and take my top off," she said, her voice once again very deadpan and lacking any recognition of what she was saying.

Ryder gave her a surprised look, a satisfied smile slithering onto her face as she gently pushed him in the arm and a chuckle.

"You are _so_ easy," she laughed, rolling her eyes at him while continuing to smirk. "God, I wish I had a camera earlier."

"Oh, yeah, that'd be wonderful," Ryder said sarcastically, rolling his eyes and pressing the doorbell as a chime rang through the household behind.

"Most guys would be over the moon seeing what you saw," Mari said, putting on an insulted tone. Ryder sighed, beginning to grumble.

"Ugh, I just don't get it. Do you want me to be modest and a good guy or an idiot who's endlessly gawping over your…hello Kristy!" he said, his tone changing dramatically as the door opened to reveal a beaming ten year-old. Mari did likewise, a smile appearing on their faces as both stifled the urge to chuckle at Ryder's bad timing and choice of subject matter.

"Merry Christmas!" Kristy cheered loudly.

"Merry Christmas!" Mari replied, the inside of the home decorated from corner to corner with tinsel, holly, ivy and mistletoe. A cheery attitude emanated from within, as Kristy beckoned for both to cross the threshold.

* * *

With a cautious ear, the bunny tapped the product which had been deposited in front of her. She looked up to Ivy, the girl glancing down curiously from the seat next to her partner. "What's wrong?" she asked, the dinner table a bustle of voices, chinking plates and a jovial atmosphere.

"Uh…what is this meat thing?"

"That's turkey."

"What's a turkey?"

"I'll show you a picture later online, okay?"

"Uh…yeah, but…I think I'll pass right now. I don't really like the smell."

"Shame, because it tastes delicious," Ivy replied, eating some of the meat herself. Lunamon nodded warily, frowning deeply as she pushed the product aside on her plate. Ivy looked down again, raising an eyebrow. "How did meeting the relatives go?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Lunamon looked up, her galled face telling Ivy all she needed to know. The blonde nodded, giving an apologetic look.

"I guess it could've been worse. How did what you did go?"

"He should be opening the card now if he hasn't already."

"I see," Lunamon replied, not sure whether to raise her next issue. "Uh…what about Mari?"

"What about her?"

"Well…every time you do it, you say she gets annoyed at you."

"Lunamon, it's Christmas, I can't _not_ send him a card. Besides, I am Ryder's friend, and she's just going to have to get used to that."

"Hmm…"

* * *

A whole universe away, a similar setting (albeit on a lower table and with slightly different food) took place: a family along with a few friends settled around for Christmas dinner. It wasn't only the current Nonaka family either, since along with Seiko (and her partner, DarkBiyomon) and Rumiko as the adults at the table were Mie and Takehiro Matsuki, Takato's parents and future grandparents of Rey. Rey herself was absent, her intention to skip ahead a long way evidently a deeply held one, but her parents, Takato and Rika sat up one end of the table. The latter was now nearly 30 weeks pregnant, and hence was rather irritable, although right now her emotions were more of a saddened nature. Near her sat Mari and Ryder, along with her sister Kristy, ever-overjoyed but sharing a similar pain to Rika. About them, their Digimon partners sat, at varying distances from the dinner table and eating various quantities of food.

"I'm sure he'll try to contact you again someday," Mari reassured, Rumiko feeling anxious given the topic of the conversation.

"If you ever really want to find him we will try but I can't guarantee anything I'm afraid," Seiko said, giving a concerned smile to her granddaughters as even Kristy's spirit was pulled down somewhat.

"He last sent a card to us three years ago," Rika sighed, resting her head on her hand which rested on the table as she absently played with some of the food.

"It's like he's completely forgotten us," Kristy sighed, frowning herself despite knowing that she and Rika had never seen their father together. Indeed, they may as well have been talking about different people were it not for the fact that the two Kiyoyuki Nonaka's were likely to have been merged in mind and personality in the cataclysm.

"I mean, he doesn't even know he has a grandkid on the way."

"Perhaps we should change the subject?" Seiko suggested, noting how anxious and uncomfortable their guests had become given the subject, not least Rumiko. "It is Christmas after all. Ryder, Mari, it must be strange celebrating a Christmas on a whole different continent."

"Well, this year Mari came up with the idea of celebrating a really traditional Western Christmas so we haven't really taken in all of the Japanese versions of stuff," Ryder noted, pondering through their day.

"But it's still been great fun," Mari added in agreement.

"I've always loved Christmas. There was this one Christmas when Takato was three and he was so eager to get a guitar so we got him a toy guitar. He rushed around the house in his pants all day pretending he was a rock star. So adorable."

"Mum…" Takato groaned, turning bright red feeling rather anxious about the chosen subject matter as his friends grinned at him.

Even Rika cheered up, giving a sly smile to her fiancé. "Any pictures?" she quipped, grinning widely to the boy as he sank in his seat to the sound of awkward laughter.

* * *

The window, that morning used to look out upon a grey Christmas, was now a pitch black, the room lit by both the soft light of the bedside lamp and the glow of the PC screen. The finger tapping had slowed, and even though it wasn't even that late yet, the girl doing so felt absolutely exhausted from her long day. She gently massaged the side of her head, giving a quiet groan which made Lunamon look up from where she had been dozing off.

"Tired?" the bunny asked whilst yawning.

"Yeah," Ivy sighed, pausing periodically and leaning back against the back of the seat. Downstairs, the party had already come to an end, her relatives departed and the house now far quieter, to Lunamon's relief of course. The internet was beginning to buzz with friends in a similar situation, a slim smile appearing on the girl's face as some of them appeared.

**MellyLala has logged in.**

**MellyLala: Hey bunny!**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: I'm never going to lose that nickname now, am I?**

**MellyLala: Is it a bad nickname then?**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Never mind.**

**MellyLala: Lol**

**MellyLala: How did your Christmas party go?**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Fairly well.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Lunamon hated all the attention she got though.**

**MellyLala: Aw.**

**MellyLala: Poor thing.**

**MellyLala: You feeling better now?**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: A bit.**

**MellyLala: Aw. *hugs***

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: It's been a very long day.**

**MellyLala: Yeah.**

**MellyLala: Sorry for arguing with Douglas earlier.**

**MellyLala: You really caught us all by surprise earlier when you spoke up.**

**MellyLala: We were right to make you our leader.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Really?**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: The idea has begun to really scare me.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: I know I've been our leader for months but I've never really felt like the leader.**

**MellyLala: You'll be a great leader Ivy.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: I'll crack under the pressure.**

**MellyLala: So did Ryder. It just made him stronger in the end, and it'll do the same for you.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: `spose so.**

**MellyLala: We'll all support you. You may be our leader, but we work together as a team and decide things together.**

**MellyLala: You make the final decision when we're arguing over things.**

**MellyLala: And cheer us up when we're feeling sad, if you didn't already.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Okay.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Thanks.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: But you seem to be doing all the cheering up right now.**

**MellyLala: Yeah, but could you imagine me trying to cheer up Douglas?**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Fair point.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Aw, I'm so tired now.**

**MellyLala: Then go to bed.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: But it's Christmas.**

**MellyLala: So? I'm going to bed at the first yawn.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Lol.**

**MellyLala: Go to bed bunny!**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: You know, I just had a worrying feeling there of feeling like Terriermon.**

**MellyLala: Making me Suzie then?**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Yeah.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Only, you're a lot older.**

**MellyLala: Well, Princess Pwetty Pants, you need your beauty sleep so you can rule over your Kingdom well tomorrow.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Wouldn't I need to be the Queen to rule?**

**MellyLala: Peh, technicalities.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: And Pwetty Pants?**

**MellyLala: No, I don't know where Suzie got that from either.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: It's an American dub. They mean trousers.**

**MellyLala: Oh, yeah.**

**MellyLala: I just realised that you thought I meant you have pretty knickers.**

**MellyLala: That must've sounded weird.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Frankly, I didn't have a clue what you were talking about.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: I'm too tired.**

**MellyLala: Then go to bed.**

**MellyLala: Now.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Yes mother.**

**MellyLala: Go. To. Bed. Now.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: *sticks out tongue***

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: I'm too busy working.**

**MellyLala: You're doing homework?!**

**MellyLala: What is wrong with you?!**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: No, I'm not doing homework.**

**MellyLala: Then go to bed already!**

**MellyLala: Whatever internet rubbish you're wasting your time with can wait.**

**MellyLala: Don't tell me you've taken up drawing on DeviantART.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Are you kidding? I can't draw anything.**

**MellyLala: Thank god.**

**MellyLala: I was getting worried about the idea.**

**MellyLala: Whatever it is, I don't care.**

**MellyLala: Just go to bed already!**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Fine.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: I'm going.**

**MellyLala: Good.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Merry Christmas!**

**MellyLala: Merry Christmas!**

**MellyLala: Love you lots!**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: Love you too!**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: xxx**

**MellyLala: xxx**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever has gone offline.**

Breathing a deep sigh which quickly turned into a yawn, Ivy shut down the computer and spun round on her seat, before rather unceremoniously falling forward face-first onto the bed with a groan of tiredness. _"Long day…"_ she mumbled, clutching the purple sheets tiredly as she buried her head in them and considered going straight to sleep there and then. If it weren't for the small blinking light of consciousness in her mind telling her that she had to get up and prepare before lying in her bed the proper way, she probably would've done so.

With another groan, she sat up, rubbing her hand through her messed-up hair and getting to her feet again.

"Time for bed," she mumbled down to her partner, wandering over to her wardrobe and pulling out a pair of thick pale pink and white pyjamas, the perfect thing for a chilly night like this. Not caring about the fact Lunamon was there (since, after all, they were partners, and Lunamon was modest and respectful enough not to watch anyway), she undid her belt and removed her white dress, before progressing through taking off the remainder of her outfit and then pulling on the top and bottoms of the pyjamas. She reached to her wrist, gently undoing the strap of her silver-ringed D-Vice and depositing it on her desk.

She turned, flicking off the monitor of the screen, now simply showing an orange light, and wandered over to the door in a zombie-like manner, yawning as she did so.

"_So…tired…"_

* * *

The DVD drive whirred close as the player accepted the disc into it. With a spinning noise, the data began to be scanned by a laser, the signal rushing along a wire to be displayed on a screen as an image above by a number of liquid crystals.

None of which mattered whatsoever to those watching it at that moment, both due to tiredness and indifference. Ryder settled down alongside his girlfriend alongside the sofa, while MiniDonmon settled down on the back of the seat.

Regardless of tiredness however, neither wanted to go to bed yet, it being considered akin to surrendering by the pair. They would see this whole Christmas through, be dammed to sleep.

The irony, of course, that sleep had been ever so tempting earlier that day had yet to occur to their sleep-addled minds. Mari looked down to Ryder, a curious expression on her face as she watched the menu for **Spooks** appear on the screen. "Okay then, so what's this series about?"

"Well…it's your basic secret service set-up revolving around the UK's MI5. And, that's about it."

"Ugh, not another **24**."

"Of course not. This one's set in the UK."

Mari simply groaned, leaning down into the boy's shoulder and settling down to watch whatever this program was about to throw at them.

"Oh god, it's not going to make us Americans seem like the bad guys, is it?"

"Heh."

* * *

The silence of the bedroom was interrupted by a sudden beeping, and a rather loud one too. The soft, gentle breathing of the teenage girl gave way to erratic exhaling as her eyes blinked open, the particular tone she was hearing far too familiar to her. With it, came memories of battles which were dreaded, and which lived up to their predictions too. Battles against horrible foes, ones who threatened to destroy their entire world.

Right now, this wasn't what she wanted. It was past midnight, but it was still Christmas in her mind - couldn't the world just give her a break for once?

She went to close her eyes again, the prospect of once again sleeping only too tempting for her. But, whoever had designed the D-Vice had evidently done a good job, since she found herself completely unable to do so. Her hair was splayed out across her pillow, messed up more and more every time she turned her head with a groan.

Finally, her hand reached down to her other arm, searching for the device before rushing her hand across to the side table. Right now, turning it off was her main concern, so she could finally get back to sleeping. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't there, and if her memory was serving her correctly, she knew exactly where it was: the side table.

"_Ugh…stupid__, stupid, stupid Bunny…I mean, Ivy…ugh, now it's stuck, wonderful," _she groaned, pulling her knees up and pressing her head into the pillow before reluctantly stretching out again, exhaling before yawning once again. At long last, she forced herself to sit on the side of the bed, her pyjamas ruffled only slightly less than her hair which was splayed across her shoulders and ruffled greatly as she reached out and switched on the lamp.

Her eyes were half closed as she pushed herself to her feet, staggering across the room and trying to avoid the urge to just fall back on the bed and pull the quilt up around her. The house was cold, very cold, and the prospect of going outside was not an appealing one.

"Ivy," groaned Lunamon, herself just awaking from her content sleep. "What's going on?"

The blonde reached the desk, holding on for dear life as she picked up her D-Vice and attached it to her wrist. Staring through narrowly-opened eyes, she stared on and read the time. "Ugh, half past midnight," she groaned. "Why can't the Digital World just sleep?"

"Ivy…I'm worried…this feels like a big one."

"Ugh, great. I don't want to do this," she sighed, frowning deeply as her mind took the annoying step of reminding her she was the leader of her group, and meant to set a good example. "I guess I have to."

"And quick too, because this feels like a really really scarily big one."

"Let's go then," Ivy said with a yawn, wandering over to her wardrobe and opening it up. Her clothes were barely visible in the dull light, certainly not easy to put on, and it was clear from Lunamon's words that she didn't have the luxury of much time, or, indeed, any time at all. _"Great, I'm going to be freezing too. I can't go out in my Pyjamas, I'm not Takato!"_

"Ivy's, it's…horrible!" Lunamon complained, shuddering.

"_Great, no choice either," _she complained, reaching out and grabbing her thickest black jacket she could see through her blurred vision. Without a care for fashion sense, she tightened it up over her pink pyjamas, before she reached in for some socks, pulling them onto her feet. Finally noticing that they didn't match, one pink and one white, she sighed, deciding that it didn't matter right now. She reached to the desk for her keys, before finally rushing out the door. _"This better not be too big!"_

* * *

With an ending like a photo negative, the episode came to a close, a yawn promptly sounded from its viewers. Mari sat up in Ryder's arms, pleasantly impressed by both the quality of the show and her ability to stay awake during it all. Seeing that he was rather close to nodding off, despite his desperate attempts to stay awake and watch the show, she patted his leg with a slim smile. "Come on; let's go to bed before we fall asleep on the sofa," she said, standing up and heading across to the television.

Ryder sat up, groaning as he pushed his hand up through his fringe and tried to hold off the urge to sleep long enough for him to at least prepare for bed first. He blinked repeatedly, hoping that somehow the tiredness would clear from his eyes that way.

Mari popped the disc into the box, before switching off both the television and DVD player. As she put the disc down on the table, she glanced over to the tree and decorations in the corner, before looking back to the boy. "So, do you think we managed to make a good Christmas in the end?"

"Yeah, it's been good," he yawned, stretching his arms out as he took to his feet.

The girl gave a slim smile, raising her brow slightly. "I'm sure it has been," she said, her smile becoming sly and knowing as she put her hands on her hips.

"Um…"

Mari broke from her pose, smiling more naturally as she shook her head, this time at herself. She took a few steps closer towards him, a sincere and rather apologetic look on her face. "Listen, Ryder, you know that I don't really mean anything mean what I say or do when I'm teasing you. It's just for fun."

"Yeah, I know," he replied, his words rather lacking true confidence to back them up. The girl came to a stop in front of him, gently grasping his right hand from his side.

"Besides…I'm sure it wasn't the worst way anyone's ever teased you."

"True, true," Ryder replied. As her fingers gently stroked his hand, his mind racked back all the way to that bizarre event, one he had been left with a vast sea of confusion about. But, one thing in particular he remembered being curious about, and wanting answers for. "Mari, did you do that because you were worried we'd remember this Christmas just for Ivy otherwise?"

Mari's eyes widened in surprise, it being her turn to be thrown completely for a loop. "Huh?"

"Well…I was wondering if you did it because, you know, if you hadn't done so, we'd otherwise always remember this Christmas for Ivy's letter only."

"Hmm…" Mari replied, frowning deeply. "Yeah, I guess so. I just…worry so much about all this, and probably really selfishly too."

"Mari, trust me, if you were from another universe and I was competing with some ex from your past, I'd be doing exactly the same thing."

"Yeah, but if you took your top off I'd probably just tell you to stop being weird."

"Whereas if I did that you'd just call me ungrateful."

"True, true," Mari replied, chuckling as she stared up into his eyes, taking his other hand in hers. "I'm really glad for this Christmas going so well."

"Well?"

"Yeah. Could you imagine how much worse it could've been?"

Ryder chuckled, staring into middle distance as his mind set off on that particular tangent. "The Christmas tree ending up on fire."

"Realising that we didn't have anything for breakfast or lunch when all the shops are closed."

"A Digimon bioemerging."

Mari gave a smile, nodding in agreement that that particular eventuality was definitely better avoided. "Rika having a major mood swing."

"You forgetting to put a bra on this morning," Ryder said, looking down from his stare with a grin at her.

Mari simply rolled her eyes at his joke. "Goodnight Ryder," she said, putting an exasperated tone in her voice as she let go of his hands, turned and quickly walked away from him.

"Merry Christmas," he called after her, his grin unceasing as she paused at her bedroom door and turned to face him, a smile on her face.

"Merry Christmas pervert," she quipped, before vanishing into the room.

* * *

"_God I hope no-one sees me like this,"_ Ivy thought, her pyjamas making running along the pavement of the Wimbledon street a lot more difficult than it should've been. Indeed, as she turned into a main road and had to pause to check no traffic was passing, she silently counted her blessings that none of her friends had seen her yet, although doubtless if they had responded to the same call they would soon. She wished she had put on some form of trousers, even if over her pyjama bottoms, since she found her legs to be completely freezing whilst her top, thanks to the jacket, was relatively warm.

She hurried across the dual carriageway by the crossing, glancing to her D-Vice upon reaching the other side and wondering where on earth this bioemergence would be, or, even more troublingly, what it would be. Her eyes scanned around, looking for some sign of a Digital Field, but to her annoyance she had yet to see any. This, however, did not make Lunamon on her head any less nervous, and, indeed, she only became more and more agitated with every step her Tamer took.

"This thing feels so powerful and horrible."

"_Wonderful, the worst Digimon in ages and I'm caught napping, and in my pyjamas too. I can't even think properly right now, how am I going to deal with an ultimate? Or a mega?! God that would be petrifying,"_ she thought, the idea sticking in her mind and only agitating her more as she glanced at her D-Vice again and made a turn, heading down a more minor road for only a few steps before she stopped in her tracks.

There, in front of her, was a Digital Field, a large cloud of mist hanging in the centre of the street and emanating a dim glow from its innards. Ivy paused and stared at it periodically, before forcing herself to take a step forward, and another, and another, every one more tiring and more worrying.

She finally reached the field and came to a stop as she looked up and over it, the swarming mists preventing her from seeing within. "We're going to have to be well prepared Ivy," Lunamon advised.

Ivy looked down to her pink pyjamas, her black jacket, her white and pink mismatched socks, her white trainers, and her D-Vice, whilst she felt the downward pull of her keys in per pocket. _"Well prepared? I don't even have my cards on me, let alone sunglasses to protect my eyes. We're going to have to biomerge if things get rough, but what if being this tired I just hold Lunamon back?"_

Just then, the memory of a conversation she had held earlier that day rushed through her head at full force.

* * *

**MellyLala: You'll be a great leader Ivy.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: I'll crack under the pressure.**

**MellyLala: So did Ryder. It just made him stronger in the end, and it'll do the same for you.**

**Ivy Loves Ryder Forever: `spose so.**

* * *

She nodded to reassure herself, Lunamon gripping on tightly. This was simply part of the pressure that Melissa had talked about, and she could survive it. Hopefully.

Ivy took a step forward with her eyes closed, breaking through the outermost shell of the Digital Field which otherwise would've dazed her rather badly. The Digital Field on the inside was warmer than outside in the cold night, but was far from being oven-like. It was also fairly dark as she reopened her eyes, albeit a dim light from an unknown source making it at least possible to see her way.

Step after step she took, her tensions rising along with a lump in her throat as she walked further and further forward, a beat of sweat working down her brow as she saw a large silhouette in the centre of the vast Digital Field, one that was definitely one of the largest she had ever encountered. _"This is it," _she thought, Lunamon tracking her eyes in on their foe, seemingly with his or her back to them. All they could see was a large flowing robe, albeit one that had some odd shapes coming out from it.

"_Maybe wings?" _Lunamon pondered, training her eyes in closely as they stayed as silent as they could. Surprise could be their only advantage.

Ivy raised her D-Vice, looking cautiously over the screen as she waited for the data on the Digimon they were seeing to appear. What was his or her level? How powerful would they be? Would they need help? Where was everyone else anyway? She could've sworn that Marvin lived closer to the bioemergence site than he did.

Raising her worries to a new point, a low, deep and thoroughly dark voice emanated through the field, making her D-Vice redundant.

"My name is Daemon, child," he spoke, his tone giving impressions of knowledge but also a sense of evil which made Ivy shudder and come to a shocked stop. This couldn't be the Digimon she was thinking of, surely.

"Don't you do anything!" she called out, trying to act brave. "I'm warning you. We've beaten worse than you in the past!"

"I am a viral Demon Lord of the mega level, and I have destroyed so many Digimon and humans in my time that your deaths would be a mere statistic."

"We'll stop you."

"We? You and your little data bunny partner. Your comrades are absent right now. They will not be coming either, I have formed this place entirely for you, my dear Ivy Louise Winters, but I must comment that you appear distinctly…unprepared - if rather beautiful - in the light of this fantastical field."

"Shut up you…how do you know my name?!"

"Do not be scared, my dear. I am here to…make a deal. You see, of all the people I have seen in this, strange new world, you seem to be rather unique. You hold such…deep knowledge."

"What do you want from me?!" Ivy said, jumping straight to the point as her voice stuttered greatly.

Daemon ignored her. "You know something that you shouldn't, and so you go through every day in such…worry. Poor thing," he said mockingly.

"I said, what do you want from me?!"

The Demon Lord chuckled deeply. "Bah. You already know who I am and that you cannot trust me, so perhaps I am wasting my time offering what I have to offer," he began, going to turn.

"Wait…" Ivy called, her voice changing from one of anxious threats to one of curiosity. "What is this offer?"

Daemon turned back to face her, a smirk on his face. "Oh, it is nothing bad for you my dear, I promise you that. We will both gain from it…as you humans once said long ago…quid pro pro."

"Ivy, what are you doing?" Lunamon whispered down to Ivy, wondering why they hadn't attacked yet. She knew all too well this Digimon was very dangerous, both from the show and from worrying own knowledge as well.

"Oh, but Lunamon, you have something to gain from this too. The happiness of your partner, safe in the arms of her beloved."

"What?" Ivy asked, raising an eyebrow in true bewilderment.

"A great displeasure occurred to me rather recently, a great wrongdoing which should _never_ have happened!" Daemon complained, genuine deep-seated anger in his voice. "But you know what it was, don't you Ivy?"

"The Cataclysm," she said, biting her lip in worry.

"Is that what they call it, the abomination that almost destroyed me?! It is barely even a fraction of the way to describing the true disgrace of that…thing."

"It almost destroyed you? But…"

"Oh, but I escaped. Do you really believe that such a powerful Digimon as me would simply be destroyed by such a thing? No…I escaped, even if not of my own choice. Hurtled through time and space and across the dimensions to this dammed (Dammed? Or Damned? ^) place. The sheer power of that abomination was enough to not only shatter the dimensional barriers of that world, but also to weaken those around it, and the one to this world in particular. So much so, one might say, that something could rather easily pass the other way."

"Wait…you don't mean…"

"Your dear friend. Upon learning of your…tragic story, I have given it much thought, and it makes such perfect sense. Those who attempted to murder me wielded such force, such godly powers that even I struggled to defeat them. Their irresponsibility and disregard for the rise of my empire affected every universe, and I was like a cannonball, breaking through into this world. But…I have been given so much opportunity as well."

"Opportunity? For what?" Ivy asked, concern in her tone.

"Don't worry; I have no plans to harm you or any of your friends any longer, particularly not after having learnt so much about your truly touching life. I simply want to regain my place. So many other dark forces have taken up my throne, and I will not let that happen. Light needs its darkness, after all, and it is better the demon you know than the one you don't."

"So what do you want from Ivy then?" Lunamon asked, sick of how this Digimon seemed to be playing with her Tamer's mind.

"I simply want her assistance, and in return I will give her what she wants. The barriers of this universe are weakened, and with the right guidance I could breach them. It has become so clear you know more than I do about all this. If you do this thing, I will not only return you to the one you love, but also ensure you face no competition."

"Don't you dare harm Mari either!"

"I needn't have to. All I would simply need is to bring him back to this universe, and erase that annoying portion of his memory of her. I could even erase their memories too if you wish. You would gain what you wanted, and with no pain for them either."

"But…we can't do that…they're their memories!"

"Hmph…I am a Digimon, when I am destroyed, I leave nothing. Only the work I do gets remembered. My body itself becomes little more than data. Memories are the same, they needn't feel any pain, and neither must you. I could wipe your memory of it all too if you wished."

"Hmm…"

"Ivy, you can't be taking him seriously, can you?" Lunamon asked, horrified by how her Tamer seemed to be seriously considering such a thing.

"Why should she not Lunamon?"

"Because…you're evil!"

"Plenty of good Digimon have turned evil. In one of your television series, one of my fellow Demon Lords turned evil and threatened the whole Digital World. Is the reverse never possible in _your_ narrow philosophy?"

"I…I don't know."

"Daemon…I don't think I can trust you."

"I don't ask you to trust me, I ask nothing of you but what will accomplish both of our goals. If I wanted to rule a world, I would've killed you and all of your kind already."

"I…I…I just want to see him again," Ivy stammered, not sure what to say. Could she side with someone so evil just to get such a selfish result? Ryder was her friend, she couldn't do that to him.

But, at the same time, did she have to always sacrifice everything of her own for everyone else's happiness? Ryder had so much more joy than her now, and she had received none of it. He was a universe away, and she missed him so greatly, but with Mari at his side he couldn't possibly return those feelings to the same extent.

Her mind still clashing with itself, she took an unsteady step forward.

"Yes, good my dear. Now, come closer," Daemon called, his voice almost hypnotising for the blonde. Lunamon panicked, staring on at her partner and leaping aside as she rushed towards Daemon.

"LEAVE MY TAMER ALONE!" she cried, leaping into the air and head butting the beast in an attempt to throw him off. He merely gripped her by the neck, before placing the shocked bunny gently on the ground alongside Ivy, who came to a stop.

"Lunamon!" she cried, rushing over to her partner and falling to her knees to embrace her. She looked up in anger, a growl in her voice. "Daemon, did you hypnotise me?"

Daemon's pose turned to an offended one. "Of course not. I want to breed trust with you. If I had you hypnotised, I would have killed Lunamon, but she is merely misguided. You are entirely under your own mind, because if I were controlling you, you wouldn't have had the freedom to run to your partner like that," he explained, before taking a step forward as Lunamon looked worried. Ivy seemed almost understanding of what Daemon meant, her tensions barely rising as the beast came closer.

"I see."

"Now…" Daemon began, coming closer and closer before stopping near who he hoped would be his new allies. He put out a white hand. "Do we have a deal?" he asked, Ivy looking worriedly at it and back up to him as she fidgeted with her own.

"_I…I…I know it's wrong but…I know I can handle myself too…the second he starts pissing around with me. I'm not falling for the same tricks everyone else does," _she thought, reaching out a hand and meeting his, it feeling slightly cold to the touch, an off-putting feeling for the Tamer.

Daemon laughed, before his laugh quickly turned to one of surprise, and then of anger. "What?!" he growled deeply, pulling his hand away and looking at it suspiciously as both Ivy and Lunamon stared on, scared and bewildered by his sudden change in behaviour. He scowled, gritting his unseen teeth in anger. "It appears you have already signed a deal with another devil," he complained, before raising a hand in a wave. "I shall be going now," he added, turning and taking a step away.

"Wait, what?!" Ivy called, taking a step after him. "What do you mean, I've signed a deal with another devil?! I've never done that."

"You are also delusional then my dear. I am sure a qualified psychiatrist can help you in that respect," he added. "Good night," he finished, walking further away from her across the Digital Field and leaving the girl to her shocked and confused gaze, her partner mirroring her but unlike her still being able to speak.

"Ivy? What did he mean?"

"I…I haven't a clue," Ivy said, blinking in disbelief as she looked out at him again. "Come back!" she called, but he didn't listen, as her shoulders sank in disappointment. She fell to her knees, Lunamon looking ever more worried with every action that passed. "It doesn't matter anyway," she moaned, sinking her head to press on the floor. "I put everyone's lives at risk, what was I thinking? I was so selfish!" she cried, tears coming to her eyes. "How can I even be their team leader when I almost signed a deal with Daemon?!" she asked, looking up to Lunamon.

"I…I…" Lunamon replied, the words not coming to her mouth at all. She was still shocked at what Ivy had almost done, indeed, what she still would've done were it not for Daemon's last second discovery.

"I give up," she sighed, settling her hands down at her sides. "I just don't care anymore…Mari's better for Ryder anyway. I'm a useless, horrid, pathetic, weak-minded girl who can't even stand up to an obvious evil without falling for his tricks!" she cried, deeply angry at herself as she pressed her head back down into the concrete of the road, part of her dearly hoping the Digital Field would vanish and a car would come along at that very moment to put her out of her misery. Of course, even the fact she dared make such a thought made her fall even further into the pit of her sorrow, something with Daemon perhaps would've savoured if he were not busy leaving her and recalculating his plans as he did so, searching for some way he could still get his wish.

"Ivy…" Lunamon mumbled, stroking her ear against the girls arm.

"If Mari were here, she wouldn't have even talked to that freak. She would've beaten him down with all her might, and she can't even biomerge yet! God, what the hell is wrong with me?" Ivy grumbled, her sadness replaced with self-hatred and anger. "He said the words I wanted to hear…cheap promises…argh..." she complained, clutching a fist at herself. "That's not me! I don't want to be that person, the weakling who sits around and does nothing when everything is wrong."

Ivy climbed to her feet, Lunamon staring up in shock as flames burned ferociously in the girls eyes. She clutched a fist in front of her, gritting her teeth as she glared at the shadow quickly getting away from him.

"And I'm not that person. I've spent so much time searching for Ryder, so much of my mind and heart put into it. I am stronger than that," she said to herself, staring down at her fist before it fell open, self-doubt flooding her mind before she made a realisation. "No…it's not just strength, heart and brains. Ryder knew that: if he wanted someone with only firepower, he'd have given the feather to Douglas, if he wanted someone with brains, he'd have given it to Marvin, and if he wanted someone with heart, he'd have gone to Melissa. He went to me…because he knew that he could trust me to do something. He wants me to find him again, even if he knows he can't be with me, and I want that too!"

Ivy glared back up to the robed shadow, a deep anger filling her eyes as she took a defiant step forward towards the beast. He had dared turn her love for Ryder into something he could take advantage of, he had dared to threaten taking away the happiness of both her friends and those she barely knew simply to get his own way, and he had dared dismiss her afterwards with such ease. She wasn't a tool, and she wasn't going to listen to his crap attempt at brainwashing. Figment of the TV series or no figment, he was going to pay.

"DAEMON!" she hollered, the Demon Lord turning about when he heard the roar of anger. A curious expression filled his features as he looked on at the girl, fist out and her eyes burning with passion. "For everyone you have ever hurt: this is for them! Biomerge Digivolution Activate!"

Lunamon looked up, feeling the rush of energy expand from her Tamer and enshroud her, pulling her inwards as words flashed up on the girl's silver D-Vice.

**B-I-O-M-E-R-G-E**

**D-I-G-I-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N**

**Lunamon, Biomerge Digivolve to…**

Ivy, her mish-mash of clothes quickly stripped away leaving nothing but bare skin behind, was hit by cackles of data and electricity as she fell back onto her partner, their forms binding together in a flash of light.

The blur of light took on an eerie glow of moonlight, as it expanded upwards, rushing through her champion and ultimate forms of Lekismon and Crescemon before forming a tall, bipedal shape. The moonlight amassed in her booted feet, rushing up her slim blue legs before solidifying into a pair of large moon-shaped and faced objects, rather like leg guards and called the `Goodnight Sisters'. From them white armour rose up her blue form, forming a white metallic skirt over her purple hips and top of legs, before continuing around her breasts and up around her face and then down her arms. When it reached her hands, it formed white gloves which had two small blades, one white, one black, poking out the top of them, as well as a yellow wristband at the gloves' end. From her hands, a large blue and white pole shot out, joining the pair before rushing even further apart and forming a pair of pick-like blades, reflecting silver in her light of evolution as a moon-like emblem pressed into the middle of each pick. From her shoulder blades, a pair of blue pincer-like ornaments arose, before from her mid-back, on either side, three metallic poles flew out and formed wings. Two large sharp blue ears rose straight upwards from her top of her head, and as she span about a pair of very pink ribbons tied around her neck, a nock in their ends. They settled down the sides of her form, before from within, Ivy looked out upon her form, and together she and her partner announced their new name.

**Dianamon!**

Daemon simply snorted and chuckled at the newly formed Digimon, dismissing her straight away. "One of the Olympus Twelve, I see. Well, given what I have heard of Merukimon in this world, they do not exactly have a good track record for power."

"I don't care what you say any more. I am sick of evil creatures like you taking advantage of people and causing pain," Dianamon said, in Ivy's voice. She then clutched her fist outwards and spoke in both voices, Tamer and Digimon combined as she declared a damming verdict on the beast in front of her. "Daemon, this will be your end!"

"Great words for such a timid creature, my dear. Almost like…a bunny, do you not think rabbit? I'm sure Ryder would find you just as adorable as your friend Melly does," the Demon Lord suggested, chuckling to himself as Dianamon furrowed her brow, glaring through icy blue eyes at the Digimon which had yet to truly realise how much of a threat the angered Olympian posed. "Still, he has Mari beside him to find even more attractive. Unless, of course, I take one of them out of the picture. Would you like that, Bunny?" he teased, pushing every button he knew to wind up his foe even further, something he found immensely amusing and comedic.

"My name is not Bunny!" Ivy cried. "My name is Ivy Louise Winters, and I will never let anyone harm them, not Ryder, not Mari, not their partners, none of them, regardless of whether I love them, hate them, or whatever! I am their Guardian Angel!" she decreed, before returning to her dual voice. "It is time, Daemon, that you face punishment for your crimes!" she called, stabbing her blade into the concrete.

"If you want to die, my dear, then I'd be happy to fulfil your request," Daemon replied, his teasing tone giving way to a deep and dark angered tone as he raised his hands.

"ARROW OF ARTEMIS!" Dianamon cried, a flash of moonlight shooting up the six blades of the wings on her back and forming large ice arrows in the four gaps. They shone as they were launched forward, leaving a streak of moonlight as they hurtled at their foe.

"EVIL INFERNO!" Daemon roared, a great blast of flames ripping forth from his hands and burning the arrows back to nothing. Dianamon gritted her teeth at the sight.

"_I knew this wouldn't be easy," _Ivy said to her partner from where her bare form floated within a silver sphere, specks of blue, yellow and pink light joining the silver on occasion.

"_Keep your guard, he's extremely powerful even if he's not very fast," _Lunamon replied.

"_Then we'll use our speed against him!" _Ivy said, Dianamon grabbing her blade and taking a big leap in the air. Her skeletal wings, breaking the laws of physics, began to flap, allowing her to fly.

Daemon looked up, impressed by neither the Olympian's jumping ability nor her capacity for flight. However high she jumped, he could simply make himself physically larger, and however high she flew, he could simply fly after and follow. He stood, awaiting her next move without a sliver of a worry.

Dianamon stretched her legs out, the `Goodnight Sisters' glowing with moonlight as power stored up in them. "CRESCENT HARKEN!" she cried, large crescents launching from each of them and hurtling towards Daemon. He simply stood, his arms crossed across his chest, and took the attack. Dust whipped up into the air, and Dianamon stared on from where she floated, doubting that a single attack could've won so easily.

She, of course, was right, but she didn't realise exactly how right.

Bursting through the smoke, robes now disintegrated and form now far more beast-like and horrifying Daemon swooped towards the female warrior. She cried out in pain and fear as a huge pale purple hand with large red finger nails grabbed her and threw her straight down to the ground, before laughing.

"That's better. Dispensed with the pleasantries and subtleties of robes and talking," he growled, moth-bitten wings spread wide. Without his robes, the full terror of his demonic form became visible. Goat-like horns extended from a purple face with sharp snarling teeth, an unnerving grin spread across it. Black ape-like hair ran over his head and down his back, whilst dark red fur graced his body, broken at the breast by a patch of purple skin with orange markings. About his midsection and twice along each arm, belts of bones were wrapped, a buckle in the middle of the one about his midsection with Daemon's symbol of Pride on it. About his left leg, a black electronic ring was the only sign of any modernity to him, and altogether his form looked like a beast of ancient fable, a yellow pentagram on his shoulder. "This is my most beastly of modes: this is my Creepy Mode."

"Creepy Mode?" Lunamon asked, before letting Ivy continue.

"Makes you almost sound cute and kid-like," she teased in an attempt to unnerve the beast floating above them, even though both her and Lunamon were still groaning in pain from where they were embedded in the concrete.

"Hmph…" Daemon huffed, putting his beastly hands out in front of him as orange-yellow energy shot out from either, amassing in a ball of superhot flame in front of him. "CHAOS FLARE!" she roared, the flame shooting forward like an arrow straight towards the ground where Dianamon lay.

Wanting to scream in agony as she tried to move, Dianamon pushed herself to her knees. She quickly swung her pick, the momentum launching her across the road and barely out of the range of the attack as it hit the concrete with an almighty crash; one that the Olympian doubted even the Digital Field could keep in.

"Christ that was loud," Ivy cried, Dianamon rolling over and looking up towards her foe who floated above, his grin unbroken as ever he floated with his arms crossed. "Don't you think you'll get too much attention by making a noise like that?" she called up to Daemon, noting how the Digital Field was already starting to fade about them. "My friends will find us," she added, a defiant smile on her face despite the pain in her limbs.

Daemon's smile faltered, before he continued unabated. "Pah…measly children, I could defeat them with ease."

Ivy's expression within her sphere quickly changed to shock, replaying that reaction through in her mind. _"Lunamon, did you see that?"_

"_It's something I thought I'd never see but…he looked…scared."_

"_But why? He's one of the most powerful Digimon around…he could destroy us all like…unless…" _Ivy said, her eyes widening even further and a grin materialising on both her and Dianamon's faces as she spoke her thoughts out loud to the beast. "You're still damaged from the Cataclysm."

Daemon's expression faltered once again, his crossed arms falling further apart. "What?"

Dianamon smirked, standing fully upright as she grasped her weapon into both hands once again. "Attacked by all the Tamers fighting together, devastated by the power of Chaos and Harmony and thrown across the universe to a place so far away that you can't even use the power of your precious Dark Ocean to heal yourself. Daemon, you're weak!"

The Demon Lord's expression fell into one of anger, as his horrid hands tightened into fists and a guttural growl escaped his lips. "HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST SUCH A THING?!" he roared, before swooping down towards their foe with claws outstretched. "EVIL FLAPPING!" he roared, swiping his claws above.

Dianamon stepped aside, slamming her pick into the Demon Lord's back and sending him scraping through the concrete in a trench. As she stood over him, she spoke in Lunamon's voice. "Daemon, you trade on fear of your power and without that you are pathetic."

Daemon had given up on words, simply growling as he rolled over, slashing his claws at his foe with hellish amounts of anger. Dianamon tried to dodge, but screamed out in pain as she felt a slash across her waist. She fell to her knees as the beast got to his feet, towering over her as she cradled her wound and stared up in horror.

"Even with but a fraction of my power you are not a match for me," he roared, once again sending his claws at the Olympian. She winced as she pushed her head down where she crouched and made herself unstable enough to roll forward, the nails barely missing the top of her head. Taking her chance, she flipped over and threw a knee up into his groin from where she now lay between his legs, but Daemon simply laughed and kicked her sharply aside before staring down on her with disdain. "Pah, Digimon have no gender. There is nothing down there to hit, unlike on the male version of you pathetic humans."

"_Ivy, he left that world before the patch!" _Lunamon explained. Ivy cursed herself for forgetting as Dianamon got to her legs again, and sorely hated the pain that continued to wrack through her.

"You know, most blokes would find having nothing there to be a hit to her pride."

"But all _blokes_, as you so strangely put it, are pathetic, so pride is hardly a thing for them to have. Of all Digimon I know that, and as I am a Digimon, and I will not be compared to you pathetic humans. Still, I doubt that even a female like you would incur no damage from a strong enough attack in that region, am I not right?"

"Bite me."

"Is that an instruction or a curse?"

"Go to hell," she called, reaching for her weapon once again.

"My dear, you are turning into such a violent girl. No matter, I shall resort to my usual EVIL INFERNO!" he roared with a hearty laugh. Dianamon crossed the last inch to her weapon, leapt up into the air with it and swooped away from the long burst of flame which scorched the ground where she had once stood.

Daemon, inwardly mocking his foe for taking flight and forgetting he could do likewise, followed her, throwing his claws at her. She swung about her pick, countering them but being pulled aside due to her loss of strength and the momentum of the heavy blades. Daemon chuckled, slamming the side of his arm into her. Not wanting to keep taking more pain, she swooped backwards, her wings once again glowing as she tried to strike him closely and quickly. "ARROW OF ARTEMIS!"

"EVIL INFERNO!" he roared once again, raising his hands and scorching away the arrows. She decided quickly to take a different tactic, raising the pole of her weapon across her as her shoulder `pincers' glowed with moonlight inside their arcs.

"CRESCENT HOOK!" she cried, the immediate area around her quickly flooded by bright moonlight expanding from her shoulder `pincers'. Daemon quickly shielded his eyes against the light as they tried to cope with the change in conditions, before he looked out again, seeing a shadow in amongst the light.

Flapping his wings, he advanced forth, nails prepared as he advanced towards his foe. The shadow became more and more shaped like Dianamon as he grew in closer. "EVIL FLAPPING!" he roared, sending his claws towards the shadow.

His eyes widened in shock as they simply went straight through the illusion. He grasped the air periodically before screaming in pain as a spinning pair of picks rapidly slashed through his wings and made them far more mothbitten. As he went to turn over, Dianamon slammed a foot into his back, both stabbing him with the end of her `Goodnight Sister' and sending him hurtling down to the ground below, his wings now far less effective.

With a loud crash, he hit the concrete, the female warrior feeling an odd sense of role reversal. She didn't let herself pause, instead putting everything into her attacks as arrows appeared between her `wings' and her crescents glowed once again.

"ARROW OF ARTEMIS!" Ivy cried.

"CRESCENT HARKEN!" Lunamon said simultaneously, ice arrows with moonlight trails and crescents of light launched from her at her foe. Daemon stood up, but was too late to do anything more than raise an arm as he saw the blasts careening towards him. With a roar of energy, both attacks hit their target.

Dianamon frowned as she heard Daemon's roar of pain and agony, knowing that even that wouldn't have been enough to defeat him. Sure enough, she was proven right, but at the same time, it was also clear he couldn't just feign that no damage had been caused. The bone belts about his arms and mid-section broke apart, the pride-emblem belt buckle clattering to the ground. Daemon bent down, picking it up before roaring in anger. "THAT'S IT!" he shrieked, raising his hands as a humongous ball of energy formed. "CHAOS FLARE!" he called, feeding more and more energy into it and growing it to an enormous size which Dianamon knew she wouldn't be able to escape from.

Ivy, within her sphere, looked horrified as she clutched her hands across her chest in horror, pulled her legs up slightly, and braced herself for the sheer pain which was to come. _"Lunamon, what do we do?!" _she cried.

"_I…I don't know…"_

"_Crap, we're going to die and I never got to see Ryder again. I never got to even talk properly to Mari, and neither of them will ever know what really happened to me. I'll never get to lead my team, I'll never get to fall in love with someone else and move on with my life like Ryder wanted. I'll never even be able to do all those things I always wanted to do. Work, sex, friends, life…even things like swimming with dolphins or going to Australia…"_

Ivy suddenly broke from her horror, her hands falling loose from her breast and her legs straightening out, as her eyes widened and she froze up. Thanks to that one word, that one simple name of a faraway country, an idea flew into her mind. She moved quickly, her moves mirroring those of Dianamon as she gripped the end of her weapon. She paused, staring on into the heat and sheer energy of the Chaos Flare that was being prepared, continually being fed more power by Daemon as he prepared to get revenge on a being who dared to strip his pride from him.

"I bloody hope this works," Ivy said, wishing for all the luck in the world as Dianamon launched the weapon. She promptly retreated as fast as she could, swooping towards the edge of the Digital Field and knowing that she still wouldn't be able to escape the oncoming explosion.

As sure as she had hoped, the weapon spun off-balance, arcing around the side of the energy ball and continuing on towards Daemon like a boomerang. The beast looked up, hearing the swish of metal through the air, but being far too late to block as it hit him from the side, stabbing him hard in his Pentagram and knocking him to the floor.

The energy feed stopped.

And all hell broke loose.

* * *

Dianamon closed her eyes tightly, both she and Ivy clutching themselves tightly and bracing themselves for the destruction which was to come within the Digital Field. Her eyes still looked through mist, and as she heard a distant roar of pain, she realised time was up.

The energy ball, having lost its creator who now lay on the ground, writhing in agony and having lost all his pride, could do nothing but explode as intended. The blast grew, filling the Digital Field and vaporising not only its master, but also its master's data as well. It continued rapidly, shrieking towards Dianamon and expanding outwards as she forced herself to fly onwards, knowing that putting her hands over her ears to shield from the roaring cacophony of sound would only bring more pain in the end.

Finally, she could resist it no more, throwing her hands to her ears, clutching her eyes closed and awaiting the end.

"_Sorry…Ryder…"_

The next few seconds for Ivy were a daze, the loudness of the roar and the sheer power of it all overwhelming her system and giving her pain beyond anything she had ever experienced. When she next became aware of anything, she found herself in the cold air, lying on her back on something very hard and rough. The soft skin on the back of her hands touched it; making it clear to her she was no longer in her ultimate form. She strained her eyes open, looking up to the starry sky, the moon glinting away above her with stars about it in a rare gap in the clouds, one that outside of her present daze she would probably have accounted for as being because of her mega form. She pushed her arms down into the concrete, sitting up in her ruffled pyjamas, jacket, mismatched socks and trainers to stare at the Digital Field, or, at least, what was left of it as a large fireball collapsed in on itself and took the misty object with it. Finally, the Wimbledon street was left free of the unnatural, other than a number of potholes and trenches in the street, not entirely unknown for streets in the city but rather larger than those which could simply be blamed on Boris Johnson as normally would be done.

Ivy breathed deeply, savouring the air of survival as she tried to feel which parts of her body were hurting, both by simply moving them and also by placing her hands on them. Her left side, her right leg, her chest, both feet, and a general feeling of pain over her. Lifting her top slightly to check her side, and cursing the cold which quickly swarmed underneath, she noted the absence of any visible wounds, something to be thankful for. Recalling that being biomerged usually left no physical wounds quickly reminded her of her partner, she looked about frantically, breathing as sigh of relief to see the bunny sitting nearby and checking herself over in a similar way. Ivy stood up, wincing in pain slightly as she realised she had done so too quickly, before wandering over to her partner.

"Are you okay?"

"As okay as I could be after all that," Lunamon said with a frown as her Tamer picked her up in her arms. "Are you okay?"

Ivy looked out into the battle zone, a few people coming out into the street from their houses in their dressing gowns to see what the commotion they had heard was, and evidently not having heard the previous sounds of battle. Daemon had constructed a strong Digital Field for himself, that much was clear.

The girl breathed deeply, simply wanting to cry as she recalled what the beast had tried to do. He had used her emotions, her love for Ryder, how much she missed him, to exploit her, to use her in order to get himself back to his world where he could once again rise and terrorise all. She had almost put the whole universe at threat, and she couldn't help but hate herself sorely for that.

The worst thing was, she couldn't even be sure if anything he had said was true. At the time, she had treated it like Gospel, a fantastic revelation of the truth to her, rather fitting given the day that had only just left them, but now…now it was in as much doubt as what had happened her would be for the local residents driving across the trenches in the road the next day. Could she believe anything he had said?

Ivy stood there, in the street, her arms clutching to her chest and her mind fraught with horror and worry, and simply shivered as tears dripped down her face. Lunamon gently tried to whisper to her to stop crying, but it was to no avail as the girl sank back to her knees, every drop of pain wracking through her form being yet another reminder of what had happened.

She was never going to get answers.

She was never going to get resolution.

She had been taken simply for a fool, and she knew that was simply because she was one.

Finally, perhaps thanks to Lunamon's whisperings, perhaps simply because of the shivers of cold running up her spine, she got her feet and beginning the long and painful trudge home. The worst thing was, she knew that she couldn't tell anyone, not because they wouldn't believe her but simply because she couldn't tell her greatest secret.

A tear hit the ground as she staggered along, Lunamon still in her arms, and contemplated the horror that the last twenty four hours had brought.

"_Some Christmas this was…"_

**THE END**

* * *

**A/N:** I am very sorry for how late I managed to finish this but that was both due to it being exceedingly long and the holiday season being very busy for me. The epilogue to Book Six will be along in a week or two, owing both to how busy I'm going to be with college and the unavailability of my beta reader.

Regardless, I'm sure this story proved enjoyable to read in the end, particularly with the rather unexpected ending. For me, it was a fantastic thing to write, if a bit long and hard work. I always intended to simply provide glimpses of the Christmas rather than a long detailed thing, and I think I've done rather well, concentrating detail on areas which progressed the plot rather than giving unnecessary scenes which, whilst naturally seeming to `fit' in the plot, actually would've given no real extra detail while adding a huge amount more workload for me in terms of character description and location elaboration which would've simply pushed back the release even further. What was also good was being able to fully concentrate on getting some more character development for Ryder and Mari and an enormous amount more for Ivy and her fellow Tamers, and to be able to show the contrast between the Christmases without feeling I was taking time out of the regular story flow to devote it entirely to my OCs.

By the way, on DeviantART, you might want to do a search for 'Mari Flynn', since a fantastic artist called BlueIke has done a ton of good artwork for Dimensions, and currently it appears as the first result on that search. I've also done a piece of my own which is the second result. If you go to my user page, select 'Faves' and choose the 'Dimensions Art' selection on the left, you'll see the others, both sketches and actual drawings, and both of Dimensions on its own and with other fanfics and comics he has done art for. There are fantastic images for Ryder, Mari, Rey and Ivy (the last one at the time of writing only in sketch form, yet still looking amazingly good), and they are well worth a look. There are some slight inaccuracies in design, which I've noted in my comments for each image, but the images overall are fantastic.

Oh, and for anyone basing speculation off of this story, remember that I move in very strange ways, and something which may seem to be a revelation may simply be a huge pulling of the leg. After all, I did make a scene featuring Ryder and Ivy as boyfriend and girlfriend only to denounce it soon after. Who knows though, this might also all be perfectly true without any attempts at confusion. Or it could be a mix of the two, so just, and, a lot of your will curse me for saying this, but…

Wait and see.

Until next time…

B.C.


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